Winx Club Rewrite 3: Bane of Domino
by ArachCobra
Summary: Bloom was enjoying her vacation, recuperating after the experiences of last year, with the only thing to worry about being getting a dress for Stella's upcoming Princess Ball. But on the frozen planet of Omega, the Usurpers manage to uncover and awaken a long dormant criminal, who plans on taking the multiverse by storm.
1. Chimera and Valtor

_Authors Note: Here we go, third season. Hope you'll enjoy. Also, the Q &A for the second arc has been uploaded to my channel(Link is in my profile)._

Winx Club Rewrite 3: Bane of Domino

Chapter 1: Chimera and Valtor

Bloom sighed happily, as she enjoyed the warm, pleasant light of the rising sun of Harmony. A cool breeze was coming in from the coast, keeping the area at a pleasantly hot temperature. It reminded her of home.

The redhead took a deep breath of fresh air before turning around and walking into the summerhouse again. After having spent the first month of her vacation at Sunny Soul to make sure she wasn't going completely bonkers, she had been picked up by Faragonda and brought to the headmistress' summerhouse. It was a nice, little house, with a well-maintained garden and a nearby gravel path that led to the beach. The surroundings were pleasant, composed of small woodland areas surrounded by fields, hills and the occasional lake. A very picturesque location, though as far as Bloom understood, that was very much to be expected of Harmony. It was already a pleasant planet when people settled it and generations of landscapers, artists and the like had only made it more so.

Of course, being reminded of her home was quite the bittersweet feeling. Due to the incident at last year's Halloween, a group that Bloom was almost completely certain was the infamous Black Circle had taken a close interest in her and Gardenia. And from what her father had told her over the phone, they knew she was a magi and that she was being schooled at Alfea. So Bloom had to stay away from Earth, only communicating with friends and family through her phone. She had had to come up with some convoluted explanations for why she wasn't coming home that summer. Not that she enjoyed lying, or deceiving in general, but she and her parents had agreed that the less people who knew about this, the better.

She walked into the living room and sat down in the sofa, a bloated fuzzy thing that always felt like it was giving you a warm hug. She grabbed the remote and zapped through a couple of TV-channels checking to see if there was anything interesting. Or rather, she was trying to find out what would be the most interesting to watch. Even talk shows, reality TV and fashion shows got exciting once ogres, elves and magi got involved.

As she zapped to another channel, a leprechaun newscaster appeared informing her: "And now a follow up on the case of the Usurper Trio, who received their sentence last Monday for their involvement in the Phoenix War".

It always struck Bloom as strange that she could now honestly boast of being a veteran of the Phoenix War. If somebody had told her three years ago that that would be the case, she would have been certain that her future self would have taken up LARPing.

"The Usurper Trio was sentenced to Omega for the next century, despite insistence that their aid had contributed a lot to the final defeat of the Shadow Phoenix, Darkar," the newscaster continued. "There have been heavy protests from the Bijoux and the Arion families, whose requests for appeal have been denied. They were not the only ones who were dissatisfied. Taren Steele of Lightrock had this to say".

The scene changed to an old elf in the classic Lightrock uniform who said: "The prosecutor argued that the three already had a change to reform. This is pure malarkey, as their treatments were never completed, what with Darkar invading. But all signs up until then pointed at a possible reform".

The newscaster returned, saying: "John Peterson, who was part of the jury, commented that such a thing was at least unlikely to happen on Omega. Headmistress Guinevere Griffin, to many's surprise, also defended the three".

A clip of Griffin played, with the headmistress saying: "This has been nothing but a campaign of revenge against the three. While I will not argue that they are innocent or undeserving of punishment, it is telling that it was made sure that the court would be taking place in Magicalis. While it was argued that enough time had passed that it was not necessary to restrict the jury from being locals, many of the people in the jury were personally affected by the Usurper Crisis, which no doubt affected their judgement. But the three had already been given a sentence for that, a sentence that was never carried out because of Darkar. And what will happen when they are finally released from Omega, if they survive the experience? They will still be the same people, but trapped in a world they know nothing of. It will no doubt have an even worse effect on them. But people will be happy, because at least then they can say to themselves that they got what they deserved".

The newscaster returned, saying: "This sentence has once again brought up discussions about whether the Omega Punishment, which replaced the death penalty in many realms eighty years ago, is a punishment civilised societies should even use. Critics argue that due to the rate of fatal incidents and the like, Omega might as well be considered a means of execution".

Bloom sighed as she zapped to another channel. Faragonda had testified in court and had very much endorsed that the three witches should be re-sentenced to Lightrock. She had been noticeably disappointed when they were sentenced to Omega instead. According to her, Stormy had broken down crying in court and more or less had to be carried out afterwards. Bloom had little room for sympathy for the three after everything they had done, but even she had to admit that at least none of them had desired the end of the multiverse and they had helped in the end, even if it was only out of self-interest. And while she couldn't find it in herself to feel sorry, she could at least wish they had a fair trial. But from what she heard, the deck was stacked against them from the start, which struck the redhead as very much unfair.

Her phone rang, shaking her out of her thoughts. She grabbed it and said: "Bloom Peterson".

"Hey, Bloom," came Stella's voice. "Are you doing anything today?"

"Nothing special. Why?" the redhead asked.

"Because me and the girls are coming to Harmony and we'd like to meet up with you," the blonde answered delighted. "It's been, like, far too long since we've seen you".

"That sounds great," Bloom said enthusiastically. "I just gotta wait 'till Faragonda comes back from buying groceries. Where do you want to meet up?"

...

Two hours later, Bloom walked away from the bus stop and down the dirt road that brought her to the Green Hills Camping Area, while she enthusiastically waved to her five friends from Alfea, who were sitting on a bench eating lunch. "Hi, girls. How have things been?" she asked as she sat down.

"Relaxing. Thankfully," Musa said as she put her food down. "Been home with my Dad for most of the vacation".

"I've also spent some time with my mom. And been seeing a lot of my friends back in the good ol' neighbourhood," Techna said. "Been working on my wingpack too. It's still kinda hazardous, but me and Databoy have been working out the kinks. Give it a year or two and I should have a prototype I can actually use".

"Does it still chase paladins like a lovesick puppy?" Musa asked.

"Nope. Now that we know what went wrong with Blight Knight, I've been able to stop it from doing that," the scarred girl said confidently. "At least, I think I have".

"I have spent some time at home. Mirta has been staying with me for most of the summer," Flora said. "I gather that while she does care for her parents, she does not like spending too much time with them".

"And I've been visiting both my mother and father. They live separately nowadays, but thankfully not that far away," Stella said.

"And I've also been home. My parents insisted that I brushed up on my royal court etiquette. They felt my stay on Alfea had dulled my skills a bit, but still permitted me to stay another year if I brushed up on my skills while home," Aisha said.

"And you were okay with that?" Techna asked.

"Of course. My parents only have my best interest in mind and wants to ensure that my future as a royal will not be filled with scandal and embarrassment," the princess of Tides stated.

"Or freethinking," Musa muttered. "Anyways, what about you Bloom?"

"Well, I've mostly been spending time here on Harmony with Faragonda," the redhead said. "It's been nice. And at least I can chat with my friends and family over the phone. So that's something".

"Kinda sucks a lot that you can't go home," Techna added. "Would be much easier if we could move your family over here".

"Yeah, but they like Gardenia. I can't just take them away from that," Bloom replied sadly. "Though I think if I asked, they would go. But it just doesn't feel right".

"Yeah, well, that's a bummer," Stella said. "But I know just what can cheer you up".

"One of your fashion monstrosities?" Musa quipped.

"I will ignore that comment because I am in such good mood today," Stella continued. "I've got invitation for all of you for my upcoming princess ball". She pulled from her handbag several written invitations and handed them out.

Bloom picked up her letter, noted that it was handwritten and began deciphering the flowery language.

...

The planet Omega was a permanently frozen and almost lifeless planet with a nearly endless night, the sun only occasionally managing to hit its surface due the gas giant Marigold being in the way. And flying through the upper reaches of its atmosphere was a prison transport ship.

The inside of the ship was almost devoid of features besides the gunmetal grey walls and the temperature was low enough that the patrolling guards could see their breaths. Heating up the ship while close to Omega risked making them visible to the less than pleasant lifeforms capable of sustaining themselves in the nightmarish landscape below.

"So, Jenkins," the captain said as he turned from the pilot and observed a soldier of low rank. "I gather this is your first run?"

"Yes, sir," Jenkins replied, suppressing a shiver.

"Do you have any questions about the procedure?" the captain continued.

"Well, I hear there's not any place to land down there. That there isn't anything on the surface but the occasional oxygen generator and a minor camp at the Andros Portal," Jenkins said. "So... How do we drop off the prisoners?"

"The prisoners have been locked in stasis capsules and will be dropped off over reasonably open areas," the captain said. "There, a ship will pick them up once their sentence is over, provided that they are still alive of course".

"But I hear there are... Wild animals down there. Couldn't they just force open the capsules?" Jenkins asked.

"No. The things are designed to be unpalatable and reasonably easy to track for pickup," the captain said. "And it can easily be restarted, should it shut off for any reason. Gives the scum inside a nice choice between stasis and death in the frozen wilds".

"Oh. Just... How many people do get picked up from Omega?" Jenkins asked.

"I think roughly two out of five prisoners get picked up again," the captain guessed. "If I was the one making the call I'd just drop them off without the stasis pod. It's what people like them deserve. But that is not our call to make".

"We're approaching the drop zone," the pilot said.

"Good. Then let's drop of our cargo and get home before we freeze our balls off," the captain grunted.

The ship made a slight dive before specialised compartments in the bottom dropped the contained prisoners. The three stasis pods fell through the freezing atmosphere, enchantments preventing them from reaching a destructive speed. As they got close to the snowy ground below, one of the pods scraped against a frozen cliff, metal and electronics peeled off before they landed on the ground. The pods stood there for a couple of moments, surrounded by pitch black darkness and snow, the only light being that of the stars.

Then the damaged pod's door was kicked off and Icy stumbled out, dizzy from the time in stasis. Her magic kicked in almost instantaneously, shielding her from the freezing cold that would easily have penetrated her light clothes. She looked around, trying to see anything in the thick darkness, before glimpsing the outlines of the other stasis pods. She forced herself through the thick snow and placed her hands on one of them. Ice started to form inside its systems, ripping it apart and disabling the stasis. The white-haired witch gave it a few seconds before opening the pod.

Immediately, a couple of hands fastened around her throat, only barely restrained from exerting enough pressure to make breathing impossible.

"Give. Me. One. Good. Reason," Stormy hissed angrily.

Icy grasped the wild-haired witch's hands, trying to force them off while saying: "I'm the... Only reason... You're not... Freezing... To death".

Stormy thought it over for a second before conceding that killing Icy would indeed be detrimental to her own survival and she let her go.

The white-haired woman gasped for a few seconds as she let the cold air reach her lungs, before hissing: "The fuck is your problem?"

"My problem? MY PROBLEM!?" Stormy yelled. "WE'VE BEEN SENTENCED TO FUCKING OMEGA!"

"Yeah. I noticed," Icy grumbled as she went over to Darcy's pod, repeating the procedure and freeing the dirty-blonde.

"Huh. How unexpected," she noted as she got out. "You managed to escape your pod".

"I think my pod got damaged on the way down," Icy said while eyeing her former prison. "We're lucky".

"Lucky?" Stormy asked as she sat on the edge of her pod. "Lucky how? Lucky because now we get to die out here in the frozen wastes? Lucky because we get to become part of a statistic of prisoners who never come back from Omega?"

"Lucky because we stand a better chance at getting off the planet if we're conscious," Darcy noted.

"Should never have gone off with the two of you when you signed up with Darkar," Stormy grumbled as she got up again. "I could have turned things around, but oh no, you just had to jerk me around".

"I admit that things did not go as anticipated. But let's be fair here, it is not my fault that the justice system was balanced against us," Darcy said. "Well, at least not directly".

"What do you mean?" Icy asked suspiciously with a raised eyebrow.

"You remember the prosecutor? The guy who more or less made us look like the second coming of the Ancestral Witches?" Darcy asked. "Hired by my family. And they also made sure that Magicalis natives could be in the jury. I gather they tried to get rid of me. After the Usurper Crisis, I have become a problem and they used this trial to get me out of the picture, since my presence tarnishes their good name and makes their political games more difficult. The two of you were unfortunate collateral damage".

"Well, that makes me feel better," Stormy mumbled.

"Well, as much as it makes me want to kill your family, I think we should focus on getting off Omega," Icy said. "Maybe we could steal the stasis pod of somebody who's going to be picked up soon".

"Possibly, but it will require extreme luck," Darcy pointed out. "They use the entire surface of the planet exactly to avoid that. There's little for us to eat or survive from. And we will only be protected from frostbite and hypothermia as long as your magic lasts".

"That is a problem, I admit," Icy said.

"I think we have a bigger one," Stormy said with wide eyes, stumbling away from her pod. "Look".

The two other witches glared through the dark, only to see long and white serpentine bodies snake their way through the snow towards them.

"Ice wyrms," Darcy stated as the two backed away. "I doubt we can fight them. We need to get out of here".

Icy huffed a bit, feeling her pride wounded from the thought of having to give up in the face of a couple of mere wild animals, but she had to agree with her companion and followed Darcy as she and Stormy made a run for it, the ice wyrms following the three with hunger blazing in their eyes.

...

"Alright. I think I got what this thing is trying to say," Bloom said and put down the invitation. "Though it took me a moment to figure out what they meant when they requested that I wore..." She picked up the invitation again and read aloud: "Resplendent and felicitous garments".

"What can I say? The dude Dad chose to write them is a bit pompous," Stella said with a shrug.

"Or had a thesaurus jammed up his ass," Techna commented.

"So, what is this princess ball actually?" Bloom asked. "Besides a party".

"Well, it's the party where I am officially introduced to noble society," Stella replied. "In the old days, this was often the first time most of society would even learn of the princess and it was usually signalling that she was ready to be married off. Nowadays, it means I will start getting royal duties, participating in meetings and such. Except not really, since I'm still attending Alfea and my parents wouldn't want me to spend my vacations on state business, so it's more symbolic than anything else. But it is a pretty big party".

"And it is two weeks from now, if my understanding of the Horus calendar is correct," Flora said as she looked through the invitation. "I for one do not have any problems with attending".

"I guess I wouldn't die from hobnobbing with some Solarian bigwigs. Count me in," Techna added.

"I'll come too. I hear that Solarian nobles are slightly more tolerable than those of others realms," Musa commented.

"I just gotta talk with Faragonda about it, but I don't see why I shouldn't be able to make it," Bloom said.

"I think I can also attend. I'll have to talk with my parents about it first though," Aisha said. "I've also got a princess ball next year, so maybe I can try out my dress before then".

"You're also having one? Tots awesome. How are princess balls in Tides?" Stella asked.

"It's where I'll meet my husband," Aisha stated.

Stella blinked. "Oh. You still do that in Tides?"

"Well, of course," the brunette replied matter-of-factly. "It would be far too inconvenient for everyone to have to wait for me to be old enough to decide on my own who would make the best husband. It's far more expedient that my parents make an agreement based on what would benefit our royal lineage the most".

"I... See," the blonde stated. "Good luck with that".

"Thanks," Aisha said happily.

"Anyway, I'm curious," Bloom started, breaking the awkward mood. "What exactly is appropriate clothing? I've only really got the dress I wear to parties at Alfea".

"Well, it's not bad, but it is used goods and it has definitely gotten some wear and tear," Stella said, rubbing her chin. "Tell you what, we'll go shopping in... Let's see, in a week or so. Then we can both go get some totally awesome new clothes". Her head suddenly turned sharply as she stared at Techna and said: "And you're coming too".

The magenta-haired girl blinked a couple of times before asking: "Why? I got plenty of dresses".

"I know," Stella replied. "But your usual style of dress is not appropriate for my princess ball. We've got to, like, get you something that doesn't look like the result of an explosion in a two-nummi costume shop. I mean, at least I know Musa can dress herself properly, even if it's nothing special".

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, your majesty," Musa added dryly.

"Well, okay, but I get the last say in what duds I'll be wearing," Techna stated.

...

A week later, Bloom walked out of the bus that had brought her to Hobsontown, a middle-sized town near the location of Faragonda's summerhouse. It was well known for having the best shopping district in the area. She took a quick walk around town, before hurrying to the plaza to meet up with Stella and Techna.

They were quite easy to find since most people were giving them a wide berth and Bloom quickly found out why.

Techna was accompanied by a floating metal platform, which had a box riveted to it, which apparently carried the scarred girl's luggage. It had the usual slapdash look of things bolted together by the enthusiastic inventor and constantly rumbled and groaned, occasionally wavering in the air or loudly belching clouds of steam. Stella tried to stay far enough away from it that she wouldn't be hit if it exploded but close enough that she didn't look like she was running away. Although she looked sorely tempted to flee.

"So... New gadget?" Bloom asked as she eyed the thing.

"Yep. My very own personalized luggage carrier," Techna said proudly. "I thought I might as well give it a spin now that I was going shopping". The machine groaned ominously and belched out a cloud of black smoke.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Stella asked and pointed at the thing as it rattled with a sound like a rock stuck in a tumble dryer.

"Not at all," Techna replied. "So anyway, what are we going to do first?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm rather hungry," Stella said. "And I happen to know that the nearby Francisco the Fast Bear serve some delicious meat pies". After a moment, she added: "Okay, so it's a bit kid themed and stuff, but the food is to die for. Top quality in fact. So good most nobles aren't even ashamed to admit they get their food from there. I just recommend getting take-away unless you want to listen to their overly cheerful mascots for two hours".

"Why do they call him the fast bear anyway?" Techna questioned with a headshake. "The animatronics of him never move anywhere fast. Or move around at all. They usually just stay on stage, greeting customers and playing cheesy kids songs".

"Well, originally they were supposed to move around the restaurants, but I gather that they used some rather cheap artificers for the programming and then, like, things got cray-cray," Stella said with a shrug as they started moving.

It didn't take them long to find the place and the three went inside, after making sure that Techna had tethered her contraption securely, immediately to be greeted by the mascot, a brown bear with a moustache and a sombrero. It surprised Bloom how lively and friendly the animatronic doll looked and sounded. On Earth, those things were usually rather scary looking, having apparently been found in the darkest reaches of the uncanny valley.

The three girls went to the counter and Stella told the guy: "One large meat pie to go please".

"Sure thing. We got one ready in just a few minutes," the guy behind the counter, a freckled teenager with curly orange hair, said.

As the three fairies waited, the bear on stage went into a song about smiling, much to the amusement of the many kids in the resturant. It was a fairly sugary song and Bloom was relieved when the guy came with the packed pie, placing it on the counter with a: "Four nummi please".

Stella reached out for the package with a delighted look, when somebody else grabbed it, dropping four coins as they walked away from the counter with the packaged pie.  
Stella blinked, before turning from the desk and calling: "Hey, what the... That's, like, our pie you just took".

The person who had taken the pie turned around, as if only now noticing the blonde's presence. She was a girl with long, flowing black hair and a purple, frilly dress. She wore quite noticeable red lipstick and eyeshadow, the latter of which reminded Bloom of what Stella usually wore when either going to or coming home from Solaria. Apparently, it helped reduce the effect of the blinding light of the planet. "I don't see how this is your pie," she said uncaringly. "I've just paid for it. You can wait for the next".

"Don't worry, the kitchen will have another finished in ten minutes tops," the boy by the counter reassured them.

As the animatronic mascot began singing an enthusiastic song about the importance of optimism, Bloom found herself dreading the prospect.

"Well I ordered it. Sorta," Stella countered with rising agitation. "And I've already waited for it".

"Then you can wait some more. I'm busy," the girl said and turned, walking over to two other girls with red hair and similarly frilled dresses.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Stella yelled and lounged for the pie.

"LET GO!" the girl yelled as the two of them began fighting for the pie, quickly earning the attention of everyone else in the restaurant.

"Girls, cool it, please," Bloom tried as the two struggled with the package.

"Why? This is hilarious," Techna said with a grin. "Go Blondie. Kick her in the shins".

The two girls who had accompanied the black-haired pie thief looked nervous, as if unsure if they should interfere or not.

With a final grunt, Stella ripped the pie from her opponent's hands, though with such force that the pie flew from the box and collided with the ceiling fan. It was subsequently sprayed all over the restaurant.

The black-haired girl stared at her dress, which had been stained by splatters of meat. "You clumsy idiot. You've dirtied my dress".

"Well, like, you tots tried to steal my pie," Stella said as she removed some sauce from her hair. "Who in the name of Solaris do you think you are anyway?"

"I am Chimera from Beta Academy," the girl said as she began to magically remove the stains.

Suddenly, the two girls who had accompanied her enthusiastically chanted: "Tick tock, tick tock, Betas rock".

There was a noticeable pause as everyone stared at them, the only sound being that of Francisco telling a knock-knock joke.

"We, ehm, we have a cheerleader routine we're working on," one of the girls said sheepishly. "Just, you know, seemed appropriate".

Chimera rolled her eyes.

"Beta Academy? I've heard of that place. Some sort of super fancy private school that teaches both fairy and witch magic," Techna said.

"Oh, that. Yeah, my parents considered sending me there instead of Alfea," Stella noted. "But they thought the environment would be too insular".

"Like, whatever," the black-haired student said disdainfully as she finished cleaning herself. "I don't need your life story, fairy".

"Well, like, I don't need some snobby diva being all rude and stuff," Stella retorted.

The two girls growled and glared daggers at each other, looking just about ready to go for each other's throats.

"Oh yeah? Well, I don't need some second rate magi from some ramshackle academy from the middle of nowhere telling me what to do," Chimera replied.

"And I don't need some elitist makeup-smeared twerp taking my pie," Stella shot back.

"Watch how you speak to your betters," Chimera said and flicked Stella's nose with her fingers.

The Solarian blonde looked ready to jump the other girl when Bloom and Techna grabbed her and dragged her out, while Bloom said: "Come on Stella, let's not make a scene".

"Chimera, please calm down," one of the cheerleaders said as the two of them gently pulled the angry girl away. "You know it's not healthy to get this agitated".

"Deep breaths, Blondie. I'm pretty sure lasering somebody's face off is illegal, even if they were being a complete cunt," Techna said as she and Bloom managed to drag the furious blonde out of the restaurant.

...

"So that was... Thoroughly unpleasant," Bloom said ten minutes later, noting that Stella didn't look like she was planning murder anymore. They had managed to find a small stand at the plaza, which had sold them some grilled sandwiches with meat.

"Who did she, like, think she was," Stella grumbled. "Just taking our pie like that. We were tots first in line and it didn't look like she was starving or anything".

"Look, I know that Francisco's entertainment isn't nearly as good as their food, but still, couldn't we just have waited for the next pie?" the redhead asked as the three of them walked around town.

"It's not just that," Stella continued annoyed. "It was her whole attitude. Had she apologised or said she thought we were waiting for something else I'd gladly let her take the pie and wait. But she behaved as though, like, the whole world owed her that pie".

"Gotta say, I hope the people at your princess ball is less punch-worthy," Techna commented, her sputtering contraption following her faithfully and noisily. "Otherwise, I might accidentally throw somebody face first through the nearest window".

"Solaris forbid I ever end up like that," Stella groaned while massaging her temples. "I mean, I know I occasionally get a bit... Well..."

"Airheaded?" Bloom suggested.

"Yes. That," Stella replied. "Anyway, forget her. Let's go shopping".

"Cool. So, where are we going?" Techna asked.

"Let's see, what's nearby," the Solarian blonde pondered as she stopped and scouted around. "Ah, Jasper's. That'll do".

As they crossed the street, Bloom admitted: "You know, I thought you had a specific place in mind, rather than just picking whatever we stumbled over first".

"Many of the clothing shops here in Hobsontown are connected," Stella replied. "They have this sort of simulator network, where you can try out illusionary clothing to see what suits you. Then it tells you what store has it. So we might as well go in here and check it out".

"Has it?" Techna questioned after tying her luggage carrier outside. "Don't you mean has them?"

"No, it," Stella confirmed. "These are designer clothes. Unique and one of a kind. No mass production involved. It also helps you avoid showing up with the same dress as somebody else".

Bloom and Techna exchanged glances.

"Why would I be concerned about that?" the scarred girl asked.

"I hear it's bad for... Some non-definable reason," the redhead replied.

"Because if you show up in a dress that's the same as what somebody is already wearing then you are being unoriginal and uncreative. Duh," Stella replied as they moved through the rows of one-of-a-kind dresses to the simulator room.

Inside was a great platform with a glass floor. Stella stepped onto it after putting down her luggage. Seconds later it lit up, small pictures showing various clothes flying around her. "See. Tots easy," she said as she began picking clothes. Every time she picked a piece of cloth, it seemed to appear on her body, replacing what she already wore. There was even a search engine, allowing for guests to search by cloth, colour, style and so forth. "Now, which of you wants to go first?" Stella asked as she stepped down.

"Oh. Oh. Me. Me. Mememe," Techna said eagerly while jumping from foot to foot, before leaping on top of the platform. It didn't take long before she found out she could combine parts from different sets and soon Techna was busy finding outrageous combinations, much to Stella's chagrin. It took about half an hour before they managed to find a combination that Techna liked and Stella wouldn't have her arrested for appearing in.

Next, Bloom went on and quite quickly found something in a soothing blue colour that she felt fitted. Once she found her dress, she could have the address it was stored at printed, along with the price.

Then Stella went back on again, going through a frightening number of dresses, ranging from what looked like a wedding dress that had been inside an exploding paint shop to a long, red silk-dress with a neckline that plunged all the way to the navel and only had three buttons barely preventing indecent exposure.

Finally, Stella made up her mind and departed from the room with a little piece of paper in her hand.

"So, what did you choose?" Bloom asked. "They all kinda blended together in the end".

"I'm going to get the Velva Summer Design Five," Stella and somebody else said at the same time. The blonde froze, before slowly turning to the side, starring at a similarly surprised Chimera, who was still accompanied by the Beta Academy cheerleaders.

"You," the black-haired girl hissed.

"Yes, me," Stella replied. "But fortunately I get to leave so I don't have to look at you anymore".

As she turned towards the door, Chimera said: "So, you're going to try to steal my dress, huh?"

"Okay, first of all, you have no right to complain about stealing," Stella said angrily as she twirled around. "Secondly, it's not your dress because you haven't paid for it yet".

"Well, I'm going to. And it's for something way more important than whatever tea-party you Alfea dofuses have cooked up," Chimera replied.

"I sincerely doubt whatever snobby get-together you're going to is more important than the event I'm going to," Stella retorted cattily.

"Look, maybe if you two stopped being vague, you could actually figure out who is going to the more important shindig," Techna suggested.

"Stay out of this," the two irate girls demanded simultaneously, shooting the scarred girl a glare.

"Wow, hostile," Techna said as she took a step back, hands raised in a defensive posture. "Bite my head off, why don't you?"

"Chimera, please take a deep breath," one of the cheerleaders pleaded. "You know it's not good for you to get so upset".

"I am perfectly calm," Chimera said through gritted teeth. She suddenly relaxed visibly as she pointed and said: "In fact, I think I'd rather have that dress".

"What dress?" Stella asked as she turned to look.

The moment she did, Chimera grabbed a big leather jacket and hurled it at the blonde, before bolting for the exit. Stella stumbled into a shelf before ripping the jacket off and giving chase with a: "OH NO YOU DON'T!"

"Not good. Not good," one of the cheerleaders said as the four remaining girls began pursuing the feuding magi.

"I agree. What are we going to do?" Bloom asked as they followed them out into the streets.

"Start taking bets about who'll win," Techna suggested.

...

Stormy shivered as her and her two friends trudged down another frosty tunnel, almost identical to the hundreds of others they had passed through over the course of the last week. Their stay at Omega could so far only be described as abysmal, if not downright hellish. They had yet to run across anything edible and Stormy's stomach was starting to feel like a void. She was pretty sure that if any of them died, they would immediately be lunch for the two others. The three of them had already lost plenty of weight, their clothes slowly beginning to hang loosely from their starved frames. Icy had to strain herself to the limit to keep all of them protected from the cold and many nights they had to cuddle up with each other in order to minimize the amount of energy Icy would have to spend. The lack of sunlight was utterly depressing and they often found themselves hunted by the frost wyrms that plagued the land. The day before, only Darcy's quick reactions had saved Icy from losing a leg to one of the serpentine creatures. Stormy was at least grateful for the fact that water was easy to come by, even if it was all frozen. Even so, it all felt quite hopeless for the wild-haired witch. Even if they could hijack a pod off planet, they would probably just be dumped right back down again. And if they didn't, they'd most likely starve to death unless they could find a way to kill one of those blasted ice wyrms.

As if summoned by her thoughts, one of the white-scaled creatures roared from the other end of the tunnel and began to slither after them.

"Oh fuck, not again," Stormy gasped as the three witches broke into a run. "Why won't they leave us alone?"

"I imagine they're just as hungry as we are," Darcy, who was running in the front, hoarsely suggested. She was usually the one leading them due to her ability to see through the dark. The dirty-blonde suddenly stopped, but the two others had far too much speed and smashed into her back, causing all three witches to stumble screaming down a steep, snow-covered cliff. Their descent came to an abrupt end as they smashed into a pile of snow. Even with Icy's protection, it was an uncomfortably cold experience.

"Is everybody okay?" Stormy asked as she got up, brushing powdered snow from her hair.

Icy winced as she moved her arm, before saying: "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Think I hit a rock".

"I am fine too," Darcy confirmed as she looked up. "Although it looks like our pursuer is trying to find a way down".

"Then we gotta move," Icy stated and the three hurried down another tunnel. They entered a cave, the faint light of the stars slipping in through a hole in the ceiling, revealing a single solitary stasis pod.

"Huh. What do we have here?" Icy said as she investigated it. "Could we use this to get off the planet?"

"Let's see," Darcy said as she messed with a computer on the side. "Says the guy's name is Valtor and he still has... Wow, that's a lot of nines. Guy must have done something really bad". She started rubbing her chin. "Valtor. Where have I heard that name before?"

The three witches heard a roar from the tunnel behind them.

"Crap, it's closing in on us," Stormy said nervously as she hid behind the pod. "What do we do?"

"I got an idea," Icy said as she put her hands on the pod. "Let's use this Valtor as bait. We'll get out while the wyrm eats".

"Wha... You can't just do that," Stormy protested.

"Sure I can. Rather this fellow than us," Icy said as her ice began breaking open the pod.

"Wait a moment," Darcy said as a history lesson popped up in her mind. "Icy, I don't think..."

The door was forced open by the ice and the white-haired witch grabbed the person inside and harshly pulled him out before pushing him towards the tunnel, where the wyrm was slowly sliding out.

In the faint light of the stars, the witches caught a glimpse of the man. He was very tall and very pale, with caramel blond hair flowing from his head in well-maintained locks. He was wearing a long, maroon, open jacket, which revealed that he was wearing a violet vest over a white ruffled shirt, with matching violet dress pants and grey boots. He blinked a couple of times as the stasis wore off, before he gazed unimpressed at the draconic serpent that was right in front of him. It raised its head, roared and got ready to attack. Just as it lounged, the creature suddenly froze. Valtor held up a hand, all five of his gloved finger touching each other. Then he slowly spread them apart.

The wyrms managed a whimper before its head slowly began coming apart, scales, muscles and bones splitting like a blooming flower, torrents of red blood staining the snow beneath. And then Valtor lowered his hand and the thoroughly dead wyrm collapsed.

Stormy stared a moment, before turning around and puking, though little beyond stomach acid left her deprived stomach.

"Now then," Valtor said smoothly as he turned to face the three witches. "If you are done trying to feed me to the wyrms, perhaps we should introduce ourselves". His voice was dignified but friendly, which just made the witches feel even more threatened.

"It was her idea," Darcy immediately said, pointing at Icy.

"Wow, thanks," the white-haired witch grumbled. "Sounds like somebody doesn't need to have their ass protected from the cold at night any longer".

"Fret not. I understand that you must have been desperate. So do not worry, I bear you no ill will," Valtor continued with a friendly smile. "So, I presume this is Omega, yes?"

"Yep. Worst ball of ice in existence," Stormy said weakly as she finished dry heaving.

"Alright, thanks," the well-dressed magi said as he went up to his stasis pod to investigate the screen. "And I've been here for seventeen years. Not as long as I feared". He stared up through the hole in the cave, observing the stars, before saying: "Then I'll have to go that way". Then he started walking off, humming the melody to an unfamiliar song.

"Where... Where are you going?" Icy asked.

"To the portal to Andros. I have absolutely no intentions of staying in this dreadful place," Valtor replied as he began walking down a tunnel. "I have business to attend to".

The three witches looked at each other.

"Wait, there's a portal out of here?" Darcy questioned as they hurried after the man.

"Indeed. I assume you wish to use it too," Valtor replied as he kept walking.

"That would be nice," Stormy admitted.

"Very well then. Follow me," the man said as they continued. "I will still need your names though".

...

People jumped to the sides as Chimera and Stella stormed through Hobsontown, each trying to be the first to buy a specific dress.

Not far behind them, Bloom, Techna and the two Beta Academy cheerleaders struggled to keep pace with the furious girls, Techna's huffing construct speeding after them with a visible trail of pitch black smoke.

"This is ridiculous," Bloom gasped, while watching the two girls charge across the street, forcing several cars to brake. "It's just a frickin' dress".

"Nah, the dress isn't that important," Techna said. "They're feuding, so right now the important part is winning".

"Chimera does have a habit of letting these things go to her head," one of the girls from Beta Academy said. "We really should stop this before she escalates even more".

Up front, Stella was almost running alongside the black-haired girl. Chimera noticed her and concentrated her magic. A small cloud suddenly manifested in front of Stella and started dropping hail on the street, causing the blonde to skate around as she desperately tried to maintain balance. She landed on her ass as Chimera increased the distance between them with a contemptuous: "Ha ha".

"I'll show you," Stella growled as she got up, before lobbing a ball of light. It passed Chimera and exploded, blinding the girl and causing her to smack into a streetlight. Stella passed her while blowing a raspberry. Chimera growled and charged after the blonde as the two dashed into the city park. Sprinting, Chimera managed to get up besides Stella, before pushing her to the side, causing the blonde to collide with a tree and fall behind. Stella countered by summoning her sceptre and smashing it against Chimera's legs, causing the black-haired girl to trip and fall head first into the grass. Stella tried to use the moment to pass, but Chimera grabbed her ankle and caused her to fall as well, before darting ahead while making sure to stomp on Stella's hand as she passed.

The four other girls followed as the battle kept escalating.

"So they're probably going to start murdering each other really soon," Techna suggested as the four of them entered the park.

"Please don't joke about that," one of the cheerleaders requested.

The two girls ran through another street, stopping all traffic in the process, before charging into a clothing store, rushing to the desk and simultaneously demanding: "Velva Summer Design Five, NOW!" Then they took a moment to glare murderously at each other.

The clerk, an old elf who was now hiding behind his chair, weakly explained that: "I'm sorry, but I sold that three minutes ago".

The two girls stared at him, as if it took extra time for their brains to process the fact that somebody besides them could not only have been interested in the dress, but also have managed to beat them to it by several minutes. There was a short pause, the silence only broken by the four other panting and sweaty girls storming into the shop as Techna's luggage drone gave one final puff of smoke and collapsed on the pavement outside.

Then the two girls accusingly pointed at each other with a: "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Before they could start fighting again, they were grabbed by their respective companions.

"Alright, you've had your fun, Blondie," Techna said as she and Bloom pulled Stella out of the store.

"Chimera, please calm down. You know it's not good for you to get so angry," one of the cheerleaders pleaded as they restrained the black-haired girl.

"Let me go. I'll take that snot-nosed brat to town, right now," Stella angrily said as she tried to get free.

"Release me. I'll stomp that blonde bimbo into paste," Chimera threatened as she fought her restraints.

"How about we don't turn this nice little store into a crater?" Bloom begged as they finally managed to get Stella out of the shop. "Come on, let's go get you a dress. Think happy thoughts, please".

...

The three witches kept following Valtor through the bleak, cold wasteland of Omega. There wasn't much talk, besides Valtor's occasional humming, which echoed between the frozen canyons and crevasses that surrounded them. Occasionally Valtor would stop to study the stars, apparently familiar enough with Omega's night sky to be able to navigate by them.

"So, you sounded like you knew him?" Stormy finally asked Darcy as they crossed an ice bridge.

"Yeah. I heard that name before," Darcy replied. "If he is who I think he is, then he was pretty close with the Ancestral Witches back when they were running around and causing chaos".

"He seems powerful enough to have been part of it all," Icy noted.

"Ah, we're finally here," Valtor said as they entered another frozen cave. Set in the floor were several circles of stone, each one slightly lower than the rest, culminating in the middle stone which was just about two meters below the first ring. The entire structure was surrounded by small huts and houses of very cheap construction.

"What is this place? Besides a portal," Stormy asked as she looked around.

"Supply shacks," Valtor explained. "In case somebody needs to be retrieved or if guards accidentally crash here. Not that the odds of getting to this location are great, what with there only being one of these portals, but apparently that is a price modern society is willing to pay to make sure people like us don't get out".

"Wait. There's food here?" Icy asked eagerly.

"Canned goods most likely. But given what you have been through, I imagine that will make little difference," Valtor stated as he walked across the stone circles. "Knock yourselves out. I sincerely doubt anyone is going to miss it".

As Icy and Stormy hurried into the nearest shed, smashing the door off its hinges, Darcy walked up to Valtor, who was studying the centre of the circles. "So how do you open it?" she asked.

"Normally, there is a code. I doubt it's the same as when I last heard it," Valtor replied. "If you have the code, a portal will open to a similar circle on Andros. The enchantments here are heavily guarded. It would take a magical genius to untangle the metamagical properties and force the way open".

"And can you do that?" the dirty-blonde asked.

Valtor replied with a confident smirk as he sat down in a meditative pose. "Go help your friends, Darcy," he said as he closed his eyes. "I am sure your body will appreciate the food and rest".

...

"That little... Self-absorbed... Arrogant..." Stella grumbled as she marched back and forth through the sand, swinging the bag with her new dress back and forth with every word. After finding a new dress for Stella and buying what the two other fairies had wanted, they had retreated to the nearby beach to enjoy the warm weather.

"Relax, Blondie. You're wearing out the sand," Techna, who was busy repairing the damages her contraption had sustained from straining itself, said. "She's not here anymore".

"She really did manage to tick you off," Bloom, who was sitting on a public sunbed, noted.

"She was just so... So..." Stella fumed.

"Typically noble," Techna suggested.

"Not funny," the Solarian blonde growled.

"Just please calm down, Stella," Bloom said. "She's gone, you got a new dress, she's going back to Beta and you don't have to hang with her or anything".

"You're right of course," Stella sighed. She took a deep breath as she forced herself to calm down. "She's gone and the odds of ever running into her are low, even if I come back to Hobsontown".

"If she is a noble, couldn't she show up for one of your fancy-pants get-togethers?" Techna asked.

"Well, true, I might have to, like, endure her if she shows up to something important," Stella admitted. "But it's not like I have to sit with her or anything. Or talk with her. Or acknowledge her existence at all".

"And I'm sure she's just as eager to stay away from you," the Dominian princess agreed. "So no reason to stress out over it".

"Right. I think I'll just sit down for a while," the blonde agreed as she sat down on one of the public sunbeds.

"By the way, I was kinda curious," Bloom continued, turning her attention to Techna. "You said that both witches and faeries attend Beta Academy?"

"Well, no, not really," Techna replied. "But they teach both fairy and witch magic. That is, their students learn to use both".

"They're, like, called sorcerers," Stella commented. "They have both the strengths and weaknesses of fairies and witches".

"From what I know, it takes a lot of emotional self-control, since you learn how to turn all your feelings up to eleven for max power," the scarred girl explained. "Though it seems this Chimera chick is less adept at the whole control part".

"You don't say. She looked ready to blast Stella," Bloom said, where after she added: "Then again, Stella looked ready to return fire the moment she tried any funny business".

"Well, I'm kinda glad it didn't end that way," Stella admitted. "I mean, could you imagine the damage if we just started flinging spells all over the place? The police would be on us like... Like..."

"Flies on shit," Techna suggested.

"Thanks for the tots flattering comparison," Stella grumbled. "Maybe I really should take up lasering people, as you put it. Just about all I can do with my knack. That and be a flashlight".

"Come on, Stella, don't be like that," Bloom said sympathetically. "You've done lots of great things with your magic".

"Thanks Bloom, but my knack is just not that useful," Stella said gratefully. "I do occasionally feel a bit left behind, but I've learnt to accept it. Not everyone gets to be a winner when it comes to getting a knack". She yawned and said: "Anyways, with our shopping done we are tots ready for my princess ball. As long as nothing else goes wrong".

...

The planet Andros' surface consisted mostly of water and most of its native lifeforms were aquatic. Not that there weren't any land whatsoever. In fact, there were plenty of islands and the like governed by various kingdoms, fiefdoms, republics and whatever else form of government people could think of. But the dominant species of Andros were the merpeople, sapient beings descendant from fish. Their lands stretched across the bottoms of Andros' oceans and through underwater portals into the seas of other dimensions. They were well suited for the life beneath the waves, with thick and strong muscles, eyes adapted to low light, protective scales and sharp claws and teeth. While the merpeople were as divided and had just as many different countries as any other species, one thing they shared was the agreed on duty of guarding the portal to Omega, a set of stone circles rising out of the ocean, each one higher than the previous. Clad in protective gear, merfolk on duty guarded the rings day and night, mostly from people who attempted to break into Omega to free somebody.

But that particular day, something else happened.

The topmost platform began to sputter and spark, as the very air wavered like it would during intense heat. The merfolk on guard exchanged glances and readied their weapons. In the entirety of their careers, there had never been an unannounced exit from Omega, but it was hypothetically possible if a ship stranded there and the crew got to the portal before their crash was noticed. An unlikely, but possible explanation.

But when the portal opened and the cold air of Omega blasted through, it was Valtor that marched into Andros, followed by the three Usurpers, who were still busy devouring the food from some cans they had found in the sheds.

The merpeople raised their weapons, mostly tridents, harpoons and the like, but a few wielded revolvers, which had been enchanted to resist the detrimental effects of the ocean.

"Such hostility is really unwarranted," Valtor admonished as he stepped down the circles. "Really now, is it a crime for a life-time prisoner to get out and stretch his legs?" As he reached the lowest circle, two merfolk surged out of the water, grabbing his arms and pressing their spears against his throat.

"Don't. Move," one of them warned him.

"Apparently, it is a crime," Valtor mused. "What a world we live in".

The three witches froze, unsure if they should help their new acquaintance or not.

Suddenly, the two merfolk hissed and jerked away from the magi as if they had burnt themselves. On their hands were suddenly emblazoned a black and stylish V. They suddenly went stiff, before turning their weapons towards their former comrades, hissing hostilely.

"My personal mark does tend to make people a lot more agreeable," Valtor continued in a conversational tone. "Now then, do the rest of you value your independence or do you also plan on trying to get in my way?"

"FIRE!" the merfolk commander yelled.

Valtor shrugged and a shimmering barrier manifested around him, blocking the barrage of projectiles. He lifted both of his hands and two merfolk were ripped out of the sea, before being pulled over to him, where after he placed his hands on their foreheads, placing the mark which subsequently robbed them of their free will. As two others were also pulled out of the sea and others struggled with their brainwashed comrades, the commander ordered: "FALL BACK! EVERYONE, FALL BACK!"

As they swam away, Valtor stepped to the edge of the outermost stone circle, his jacket billowing in the wind, as he called to them: "Then swim away! And tell your kings and queens, your presidents and priests, that Valtor is back!" He smiled and softly continued with: "And this time I will not be denied".


	2. The Princess Ball

Chapter 2: The Princess Ball

Aisha stared out of one of the castle's big windows, watching rain pelt the glass. It rained quite often on Andros and the princess was quite used to not seeing the sun for days. But that was not why she was spending her time overlooking the ocean and watching the waves crash against the rocks far beneath her.

She was worried.

Earlier that day, a delegation of merfolk had arrived. This in and of itself wasn't weird. Tides was allied with many of the merfolk nations, which of course resulted in a lot of the usual exchanges of gifts and the like. There was even a specialised part of the docks designed to receive the aquatic guests and the lowest parts of the castle were flooded to make their stay comfortable.

But soon after the delegation had arrived, a grim mood had settled over the castle. Many of the most important people of the kingdom had been summoned to an emergency council that her father had ordered, which Aisha had not been a part of. Not that she minded it. She knew that being there wasn't her place and she was quite certain that her parents could resolve whatever crisis had popped up.

That was, until her father shut down all non-military outbound and inbound communication. Soon after, he started mobilizing the army. While the military wasn't Aisha's department, she knew this could only mean one thing. Whatever had happened, her father was taking it dead serious. She had no idea how long this state of emergency was going to last, but she doubted it would be over soon. It would be very unusual if a crisis that provoked such a response could be resolved quickly. But then again, she had to admit that stranger things had happened lately.

"You look worried," a voice behind her stated and Aisha turned to see her mother. Like Aisha, she had dark skin and had a very slender build.

"It just seems like there must be quite the crisis if father shut down everything like this," Aisha noted as she returned her attention to the ocean outside, watching as several military vessels left the dock. "If I am allowed to, I'd like to know what happened".

"We're not sure yet," her mother admitted as she took her place beside Aisha and they watched the rain outside together. "The merfolk nation of Phykos sent out the highest of alarms, which I am most certain that they wouldn't do without due reason. We're still waiting for confirmation of what exactly the threat is, which is why your father has reserved all lines for military communication. Don't worry, whatever it is, we will work to having it resolved soon".

Aisha dearly hoped it was something that could be easily fixed. While she did not regret her participation in the Phoenix War, she had to acknowledge that the experience had given her enough excitement and adventure for one lifetime. Her parents had been less than impressed with her involvement, though they acknowledged that her desire to help the people involved was praiseworthy.

"Though I don't imagine we will have it resolved within the next couple of days," her mother continued apologetically. "I'm sorry, Aisha, but you will not be participating in the Solarian princess ball. While this situation is unresolved, it is imperative that we remain here in safety".

"That is understandable, mother," Aisha replied. The only thing that annoyed her was that this meant she couldn't even cancel the invitation, though she imagined that Stella would be forgiving once she found out what exactly had happened. She would have to buy Stella a gift, of course. Something that told her that she was sorry that she hadn't given a reason for not showing up. Thoughts now occupied with something she could at least do something about, if not now then later, Aisha began relaxing again, even as more ships left and entered the docks.

...

The area around the Andros portal was filled with cave-like underwater fortifications and stone buildings meant for the guards. But after forcefully converting the remaining soldiers, Valtor had ordered his mind-controlled merfolk minions to do some restructuring and pump the water out. Not that staying underwater would have been much of a hindrance for the dandy magi. He could easily create gills for himself if need be. But the salt-water would wreck his clothes and his current guests were less capable of rapid adaptation to underwater environments. So far, only a couple of rooms had been cleared to the point that they were suitable for air-breathers, but the mind-controlled merfolk were working on converting almost all of the structures. And as Valtor looked across the pane of glass that separated the dry are from one of the flooded areas, which made it look almost like an aquarium, he knew construction would be sped up as he watched his own minions drag three struggling merfolk into the submerged part of the building. It took but a moment for the well-dressed magi to absorb the necessary information from his minions. Apparently, the captured merfolk had been sent by the nation of Phykos to sabotage the area to delay him.

"So, according to my followers, you were quite interested in this place," he started conversationally.

"You will pay for what you have done to them, you monster," one of the merfolk hissed as she was dragged to the water's surface.

"Oh, but I suppose if they had stabbed me to death, then it would have been just fine," Valtor noted with an eye roll. "Most typical". One by one, he branded the infiltrators, adding them to his ranks. As the newly converted merfolk swam off to assist with the constructions, Valtor turned and noted that the three witches were present. "Ah, you're still here," he commented. "If you find yourself with some extra free time and nothing to spend it on, could you go pick up some supplies from the sheds in Omega? I'd do it myself, but I have a rather busy day ahead of me and quite obviously the merfolk are incapable".

"I think we can manage that much," Darcy replied.

"By the way, if you don't mind me asking, what's up with the branding thing?" Stormy asked. "Is it just, you know, to show that they belong to you now?"

"Well, there's also that, but it is more than just a mark of ownership," Valtor explained. "My knack is that of flesh and my peripherals cover everything else a body is made of. I have spent years mastering it and I now control my own body almost perfectly". To demonstrate, he held up his hand and caused his fingers to curl backwards without any obvious discomfort. Stormy shivered at the sight. As the fingers corrected themselves, the well-dressed magi continued with: "Now, having such fine control over other people's bodies is much harder. My mark is a spell of my own devising. When it is placed, it allows me to intuitively sense their bodies to the same degree as I sense my own, allowing me near-perfect control. That is what allows me to so easily reprogram their minds".

"That is quite the spell. Must have taken long to create it," Darcy said impressed.

"Indeed. It was quite the project," Valtor admitted. "By the way, how long do you plan on staying? Not that I am busy getting rid of you, but I need to plan out our rations".

"That is actually a very good question," Icy said and turned to the others. "How long are we staying?"

"We never really got farther than planning to get off Omega," Darcy admitted. "Give us a moment and we'll have a talk about it".

"Very well. If you need me, I'll be downstairs overseeing the restructuring of the bathrooms," Valtor said with a courteous nod, before going down a set of nearby stairs.

The moment he was gone, Darcy noted: "I think we should stay".

"Why?" Stormy asked.

"Because the moment we get caught we will be hauled back to Omega," the dirty-blonde continued. "And this time, I doubt Valtor will be able to save us. We might not even be lucky enough that Icy can break free".

"Hmm, point," Icy said. "If we make ourselves useful to this guy, he'll probably protect us".

"Wait, we're doing this again?" Stormy asked in disbelief. "Remember what happened with Darkar? How he planned on blowing up almost fucking everything?"

"We should probably try to figure out what he's up to as soon as possible," Darcy agreed. "But we are vulnerable on our own and this guy seems like he is quite powerful".

"Indeed. And if we help him, we could get a slice of the pie too," Icy added enthusiastically.

"Because trying the whole world domination thing worked out just fucking fine the two other times," Stormy grumbled.

"Look, I would normally agree with you that we have been less than successful in that regard," Darcy said. "But where can we go? Even if we get somewhere we won't be immediately recognised, the moment someone figures out we're there we will be hauled off in chains. No realm would be willing to harbour somebody like us. We would be too much of a threat. The only areas I could imagine we would be safe in would be either undiscovered dimensions, lawless known areas or Earth. And as you might realise, all three of those options come with severe disadvantages".

Stormy stood pondering for a while, occasionally opening her mouth or lifting a finger as if she was about to say something, only to drop it almost immediately. "Fuck," she finally sighed. "I can't argue with that. Valtor might just be our best hope of not getting hurled back to Omega".

"In that case, I suggest we go offer our employment," Darcy said and the three witches went downstairs, where Valtor was observing the merfolks work through a massive pane of glass that had been raised in the middle of the room.  
"Ah, you're done deliberating," he said as he noted them. "Did you come to a conclusion or will you need some more time to figure things out?"

"We have been talking and we have concluded that going anywhere but here is too dangerous," Darcy said. "So we would like to stay, if allowed. Of course, we are willing to offer our services and assistance as compensation".

"Very well. I accept your offer," Valtor said with a polite bow. "For now though, I only really need you to haul the canned goods here. The rest I can take care of myself".

"The rest?" Stormy questioned.

"Indeed. To achieve my goal I will be needing to expand my magical abilities," Valtor explained. "I will have to do some research before I can make a long-term plan, but in the short-term, I am aware that Solaria has a little thing lying around that would be most useful to my cause". He turned away from them, saying: "I leave this place in your capable hands. The merfolk should inform you of any issues that pop up and will obey your commands until my return. Take care". He waved his hands, brows furrowed in concentration, and a gateway between worlds opened before him, which he quickly stepped through.

As the portal closed, Icy noted: "You know, Darkar never trusted us enough to let us run the place".

"Then again, Darkar could rarely be bothered to go do anything himself, so why would he need anybody to oversee Shadowhaunt?" Darcy noted.

...

Bloom heard a knocking sound and went to the front door, opening it to find a smiling Stella behind it. "Hey Bloom. Ready to get going?"

"Hi Stella. Give me a moment and I'll bring my stuff," Bloom said as she stepped back into the summerhouse. "Just come inside until then".

As Stella stepped into the living room, she noted Faragonda was sitting in a fuzzy sofa, drinking tea while watching the news. "Hello, Stella," the headmistress said as she noticed the blonde.

"Hello, Miss Faragonda," Stella replied. "How has your vacation been?"

"Please, outside the school, it's just Emanuela," Faragonda replied with a kind smile. "And my vacation has been very calm and relaxing so far. Now, I imagine that a lot of press and nobility will be at the princess ball?"

"I don't see why not. They're totally there for every big event," Stella replied.

"I figured as much. I hope I do not impose myself, but I have talked with Bloom and we have agreed that I should be there with her," Emanuela said. "If this will be problematic regarding your choice of transportation, I can get to Solaria on my own, though it will probably take a couple of extra hours for me to arrive".

"Hey, that's tots fine with me," Stella said. "Actually, I'm happy you're coming along to assist. Would be hard for me to, like, keep an eye on her all the time to make sure nobody tries anything".

"Understandable. And you should be allowed to enjoy your party," Faragonda said. "Out of curiosity, how do you plan on getting us there?"

"The Sceptre of Solaria," Stella replied matter-of-factly.

"I've got my stuff," Bloom said as she came down the stairs. "By the way, has Kiko been sent back to Alfea?"

"I have arranged for transport and Griselda has promised to keep an eye on him until the school year starts," Faragonda said as she got out of the sofa. "Now, I'll just need a moment to gather my own belongings. I'll see you in a moment".

The two fairies walked outside and Stella transformed her ring into the Sceptre of Solaria.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you," Bloom said as she eyed the relic. "Why don't you use it more often?"

"What do you mean?" Stella asked.  
"I mean, the teleport function," Bloom said. "Like, when we're in danger".

"Well, because it takes, like, a lot of energy and gets very slapdash if I can't concentrate properly," Stella replied. "Like when we first meet the Usurpers. I meant to gate us back to Alfea, but we ended up out in the middle of the woods. Plus, if I blow it, I'll still have spent a ton of energy, which I will need in a dangerous situation. Same goes if I try to teleport us to somewhere dangerous, like with that whole Shadowhaunt thing. I'd arrive completely drained and most people suffer adverse effects from travelling. It's just too risky most of the time".

"I guess that makes sense," Bloom noted. "I figured you had a reason and it wasn't just because you were forgetting to use it".

"Alright girls, I am ready," Faragonda said as she exited. "Stella, you may bring us to Solaria now".

"Very well. Let's get going," Stella said and raised her sceptre. The was a glimmer of light and Bloom felt herself being dragged through a hole the size of a pinhead. There was an explosion of colours as the redhead felt her body invert and revert while she plunged through the fabric of dimensions. And then, she arrived.

As she took a moment to steady herself, she noticed two things. First of all, it was hot. Really boiling hot. The second thing she noticed was that it was bright. She had to squint as she looked around. She was currently in a large garden, a variety of plants surrounding her. Above her was a seemingly endless blue sky, from which the sun shone mercilessly. Not far from them was a massive castle made of what Bloom initially suspected to be sandstone.

"Welcome to Solaria," Stella said with a flourish of her arm. "How are you feeling?"

"Warm," Bloom moaned as she wiped some sweat off her head. "I thought I was used to the heat, but this... This takes the cake".

"Yeah, a lot of people say that. Come, let's get inside before the two of you get a sunstroke," Stella said and led the two faeries towards the castle.

Waiting for them at the castle door was a man, whom Bloom assumed was at least a decade or two older than her. He was clad in fine yellow clothes and had orange-red hair and beard. When he saw the three of them, his face lit up in a happy smile as he opened his arms while happily saying: "Stella".

"Dad," Stella greeted the king as she rushed up and gave him a hug. Afterwards she said: "Bloom, this is my father, King Radius Guildenstern of Solaria".

"Your majesty," Bloom and Faragonda said, both doing a short bow.

"Please, save the formalities for the events," Radius said with a wave of his hand. "Just call me Radius".

"Thanks," Bloom said.

"Anyway, Stella, I have something very important to tell you," the king of Solaria continued. "But I assume you would all like to get settled first. It's not something that requires your immediate attention anyway. Why don't you give Bloom a tour once you've all had a moment to rest and something to eat?"

"That sounds like a great idea," Stella agreed. "Come Bloom, I'll show you your room".

"Now, I must admit I was unaware that you would be joining us," Radius said friendly to Faragonda as they entered the castle.

"Yes, I am sorry to be imposing, but as Bloom's guardian I felt it was necessary to be with her," Emanuela explained. "She is unused to moving in noble society and I know that there are people who would use that against her".

"Indeed. Very well then, I shall see to it that one of the guest rooms is made ready for you," Radius said.

...

About an hour later, Stella gave Bloom the big tour of the castle. And the redhead had to say that she was impressed.

First, she was shown the gardens, which were carefully maintained by a team of gardeners and plant magi. It was quite the sight, with massive bushes, trees, flowers in hundreds of colours and even some animals here and there. But pretty soon, the heat became too much for Bloom and they went inside again to get some refreshing cold drinks.

Afterwards, Bloom was shown many of the castle's facilities, including the library, ballroom, which was where the princess ball would be held, throne room and the observatory, which was at the top of one of the towers. There had been a massive staircase that led up there, but fortunately, the Solarian royal family had had an elevator installed decades ago.

Next, Bloom had been given a tour of the castle crypts. While she had known a bit about them from Stella, it was still quite the sight. Also a bit creepy. The Solarians saw no reason to cover the dead up, so Bloom felt a bit uncomfortable being stared at by the dozens of mummies that lay or stood all over the place in the massive underground structure. Stella didn't seem nearly as affected and even pointed out some of her deceased family members, including a grandmother that had lived long enough for Stella to remember her. Most of them were even still clad in fine clothes, which hung loosely from their desiccated frames, which meant that Stella considered the tombs to be a museum of Solarian fashion. While Bloom found all of this quite interesting, she also felt relieved when they returned to the castle where she no longer had to be stared at by hundreds of eyeless faces.

The final thing Stella wanted to show was one of the castle's inner chambers which was called the Chamber of Suns. As Stella opened the massive doors, Bloom gasped. The chamber was dome-shaped, the walls and roof painted with dark blue colours. In the middle of the room was a glowing ball of light on a bronze pillar, glowing like a miniature sun. Surrounding it was a dozen or so flying orbs, which Bloom soon realised were planets.

"Neat, huh?" Stella asked as she closed the door behind them. "An accurate model of the solar system we're currently in".

"That's cool," Bloom said awestruck as she let her hand glide through an illusionary gas giant.

"It gets even better," Stella said and fiddled with some nearby controls. The planets disappeared for a second, only to be replaced by a new set, which seemed fairly familiar to Bloom. She suddenly realised that she was looking at a model of Earth's solar system.

"Heh, I think I can see my parents' house from here," the redhead chuckled as she went up to the model of her home planet. "Hello, Mom and Dad".

Stella giggled and said: "Sadly, the model of your solar system hasn't been updated in the last thousand years or so. That's when we stopped receiving information".

"Because of the Black Circle?" Bloom asked.

"Yep. But every other model is up to date," Stella said as she changed to another one. "Here's the system Magix is part of".

"Sounds like this room is very old," Bloom noted as she went over to the console Stella stood by.

"It's totally old," Stella said. "At least, what, two or three thousand years old. You see that sun in the middle? That's actually the Eye of Solaris, an old relic of my people. It gives the user control over light, like my knack, and the machine uses it to display illusions".

"Wait, does that mean you can also create illusions?" Bloom asked.

"Sadly, no," Stella sighed. "I haven't, like, developed that fine a control over light yet. The machine works much like a computer and can tots make adjustments on the fly. I can't. But both Palladium and Avalon have suggested that that is something I will eventually learn to do". She stared at the sun for a bit. "You know, like, in the old days, the Eye of Solaris was actually considered a totally big deal, rather than just a historical curiosity. It could generate light and was, like, even used as a weapon by some of the more violence inclined royals. It was thought to have been crafted by Solaris herself. But times changed. And nobody needs extra light on Horus. Everything it can do, we have other things that can do, like, even better. As a weapon, it was outclassed by the development of guns. As a tool, it was made obsolete by modern laser technology. Now it's just used to generate this. I mean, it's pretty, but that's all it's really good for nowadays. Mostly kept out of respect for the past and historical value, plus, the Chamber of Suns is a pretty cool thing to have".

Bloom was silent for a moment, before she asked: "So, were you talking about the Eye or yourself?"

"Sorry," Stella sighed. "Didn't mean to bring down the mood. It's just..." She held up a hand and motes of light danced in her palm. "I sometimes feel a bit superfluous. Magic is supposed to enable you to do things beyond normal tools. But my knack is, well, maybe not useless. But I mean, give Techna a flashlight and some of her own flashbangs and she can do everything I can. Heck, she can probably even make a laser gun that's as good as my blasts. And sure, I can still use general magic and rituals, but so can every other magi. A knack is what makes a magi stand out compared to others. Mine just so happen to be past its expiration date".  
"Well, when you develop that fine control you talked about, then you can do something none of us can," Bloom said. "Plus, as far as I know, laser guns are horribly inefficient".

Stella smiled a bit and said: "Thanks, Bloom. But honestly, I'm getting used to the idea. I just got a bit melancholic". She took a deep breath. "Anyways, let's go see what my father's big surprise was".

...

The first thing Bloom noticed when she entered the throne room was King Radius himself. Then she noticed the woman he was talking to. She had long honey-blonde hair that cascaded all the way to her knees. She wore a skinny purple-pink dress with swirly designs and her finger and ears were decorated with green gemstones. She had a very gaunt physique, though not in a way that made her look unhealthy.

"Ah, Stella. I hope you've both managed to settle down," Radius said as he noticed the two fairies. "Allow me to introduce you both to Countess Cassandra Pollon".

"It's nice to meet you," the countess said with a polite nod, which Stella and Bloom returned.

"Likewise. So what did you, like, want to tell us, Dad?" Stella asked.

"Well... Me and Cassandra have known each other for quite a while now," Radius began. "And we have decided to marry".

Stella blinked. "Oh. That's... Very sudden".

"I know it must seem that way," Radius sighed. "But we have actually be courting for a while. I was unsure if it would go anywhere, which is why I haven't brought it up before. But we like each other and the press and other nobles have started to notice our relationship. Our decision to marry is mostly practical, but we do still care for each other".

"Then, uhm, what, you know, what about..." Stella began uncomfortably, as if she wasn't sure how to breach the subject.

"You mother? She will continue to be co-regent, as was agreed upon when we finalised the separation," Radius said. "Cassandra will remain a countess even after the marriage".

"I know this is a lot to take in, but I do hope we will get along," Cassandra added.

"Also, I would like to ask your permission to announce it at the princess ball," the Solarian king continued. "The press and the nobles will be gathered there anyway and I might as well make an official statement before too many rumours starts flying. Might also help keep some of the heat off you and Bloom. But it is your special day, so if you don't want that I'll respect you wishes".

"No, no, I tots understand," Stella said. "You do that".

"Many thanks, Stella," Cassandra said with another polite nod. "I should also mention that I have a child from a previous marriage, who will be your stepsister once we've been married". The countess noticed something behind the fairies and said: "Ah, there she is".  
Stella turned around to greet her new stepsibling and froze, an expression stuck between anger, shock and horrified realisation on her face. Chimera had an expression that matched.  
"My daughter, Chimera Pollon," the countess continued. "I do hope the two of you will get along".

"Ehb-beh... You," Stella said as the gears of her mind began spinning.

"Wait... That means... You're..." Chimera began. The two stared at each other.

"I gotta go make up my bed," Stella suddenly said and stiffly turned towards a door.

"I have homework to do," Chimera said in a similar tone and marched out another door.

As the two girls left, an awkward silence hung over the room.

"What... What just happened?" Radius asked confused.

"Well... Stella and Chimera had... A bit of a... Run in the other day," Bloom explained sheepishly. "It did not... Go well".

Cassandra sighed as she rubbed her temples. "I remember Chimera saying something about some blonde getting on her nerves the other day, but I never got the full story out of her. I imagine that she wasn't completely innocent. She's very impulsive and has quite the temper".

"Yeah. Fortunately, it only resulted in some bruised egos and a very destroyed meat pie," Bloom said. "But it may take a while for the two to get along. They didn't exactly have the... Well, the most positive of first impressions". The redhead paused for a moment. "Or one that was positive at all to be perfectly honest".

"Let's just hope we can get them to be nice to each other, because for a moment, they looked just about ready to restart the Solarian Civil War," Radius commented.

...

Stella and Bloom spent the rest of the day mostly on having fun, relaxing and staying as far away from Chimera as possible. Which was rather easy, as Chimera seemed to want to stay as far away from Stella as possible. It had made dinner rather awkward, what with both Stella and Chimera being quiet as the grave, answering every question with short and terse replies. Bloom had hoped to ask Stella about how she was going to handle having to live with the girl, but the blonde was quite adept at evading or changing the subject, apparently wanting to avoid even mentioning the sorcerer's name. They had ended the day by going to bed early so that they would both be refreshed for the Princess Ball, which would be held the very next day.

Bloom felt like she had only just gotten used to the snug and comforting feeling of her bed when Stella opened the door and declared: "Wake up, Bloom. We have to get ready".

"Mfl, five more minutes," Bloom groaned as she tried to evade the light the Solarian princess let into her bedroom. "What time is it?"

"Come on, the sun has come up and everything," Stella said and removed the drapes from the windows, through which it could be seen that the sun had just barely climbed up over the horizon. "We need to get ready for my big event today".

"How much time do we need for that?" Bloom groaned as the blonde insistently pulled her covers off. "I already have my dress and stuff".

"Because, like, we need our hair styled, our nails done and so on," Stella insisted. "I know you prefer to do that yourself, and I'd normally be tots fine with that, but this is your big début in the noble circles".

"Fantastic. Maybe I can get buried in flowers again. That part was fun," Bloom said sarcastically as she tried to get her cover back from Stella. "Give me".

"Sorry, Bloom. But we don't have the time to sleep in today," Stella said cheekily as she pulled away from the bed, causing the redhead to fall out and land on the floor. "You can sleep in tomorrow".

"Ugh, fine," Bloom groaned as she got up and began going through her stuff.

Afterwards the two of them took a bath, which Bloom had initially imagined would be a quick shower. Though as she lay in the bubble bath, feeling the relaxing sensation of her back being gently massaged, she acknowledged that she should have realised that she wouldn't have to merely take a shower now that she was a royal. This was followed by a massage, pedicure, manicure and then a trip to the hairdresser. It struck the redhead as quite excessive, though even she had to admit she was starting to look like a movie star. And getting a massage was of course always welcome.

But as they sat in their respective chairs while professionals doted on them and fixed their hair, somebody else was keeping an eye on them.

Chimera peeked in though the slightly open doors to the room. She was not a big fan of her new stepsibling. In fact, learning who Stella was had just made the clash in Hobsontown seem even worse in hindsight. Had Stella just pulled rank and demanded the meat pie or dress as her right as heir to the Solarian throne, Chimera would have deferred to her elder stepsister-to-be's wishes. But no, instead she had demanded the pie as if it automatically should have been hers for some reason. Plus, she was attending some run of the mill fairy academy and hanging with some rather unsightly types. The sorcerer got why she would hang with somebody like Bloom, an upcoming star in noble society, but who had that other girl been? She certainly didn't seem noble and Chimera was sure she would have known if a noble with such a criminal lack of fashion sense existed. Yet despite these obvious failings on the heiress' part, her father had done nothing to correct it. He barely even seemed to mind. Chimera hoped that her mother could manage to iron out some of the flaws Stella had accumulated under her parent's lax methods, otherwise she was pretty sure that the Solarian royal house would face some rather grim times once Stella took the throne. But Cassandra had no authority yet and as Chimera's anger began boiling, she decided she would take it upon herself to teach the blonde a lesson. A minor humiliation should do the trick. She focused her magic, clouding the mind of Stella's hairdresser with one of her general spells. Suddenly lost in thought, the woman began randomly weaving and knotting Stella's hair.

Chimera had to suppress a giggle as the blonde's hair became increasingly unruly.

The stylist currently combing Bloom's hair looked up and asked: "Hey, don't you need one of, like, those stick things to make that work properly?"

"Huh, what?" the stylist mixing up Stella's hair asked. "The stick thing? Oh, yes, of course. Didn't we bring one?"

"Nah, don't think so," the first one said.

"Oh. Well in that case, excuse me, your majesty, I'll be right back," the stylist said and hurried for the door.

Chimera quickly pulled back as the stylist hurried out and backed away from the door to avoid being seen. She suddenly walked into something and she heard a voice go: "Oh, wait, watch out!" She turned around to see what was up and noticed a seven-layer cake tipping towards her.

...

Cassandra filed away at her nails, trying her best to make them even, when the doors to her room opened and Chimera stumbled in, cake and frosting covering her body. Her mother stared for a moment, before asking: "Do I even want to know?"

"No," Chimera growled as she sat in front of one of the mirrors and began fixing herself up again with her magic.

"So, how are you and Stella doing? Are you getting along?" her mother asked.

"No," came the terse answer.

"Are you even trying?" the countess continued.

There was a short paused, followed by a: "No".

"Solaris give me strength," Cassandra sighed as she rubbed her temples. "Look Chimera, you two are going to be living together for a very long time. You're doing yourself no favours by angering her. And what were you doing that ended up with you covered in cake?"

"I, uhm, I stumbled into one of the servants," Chimera said, making sure to keep her eyes on herself to avoid her mother's gaze.

"And did the chain of events that led up to that at any point involve you trying to antagonize Stella?" her mother continued sternly.

"Ehm... No, she wasn't... Antagonized by it," Chimera continued.

"Chimera, what did you try to do to your sister?" Cassandra prodded.

"I... Tried to... Mess with her hair... A little," the black-haired sorcerer slowly said.  
"Really? On her big day? Really?" Cassandra continued. "Gracious goddess, having you two running around is going to be a nightmare. I'd punish you, but I am very busy getting ready and it sounds like whatever you tried backfired".

"But Mom," Chimera whined as she turned around. "You've seen her. She's so... So... Un-noble. And she's proud of it too".

"King Radius and Queen Luna have had different ideas of child rearing than our family and we will respect that," Cassandra admonished her daughter, before returning her attention to the mirror. "Honestly, how do you expect us to live here with you trying to start another civil war?"

"Indeed. You may find your time here shorter and more unpleasant than expected," a man said. Both Chimera and Cassandra almost jumped out of their seats and immediately turned towards the voice. In a corner of the room stood a well-dressed pale man, though neither of the nobles had any idea how he had gotten into the room.

"What... Who are you?" Cassandra asked flabbergasted.

"You may call me Caleb," came the reply as the man left his corner. "I couldn't help but overhear your little discussion".

"Well, Caleb, I don't know who you are or what you think. But I want you to leave my room now, or I'll call the guards," Cassandra said threateningly and pointed at the door.

"Very well, as you wish," Caleb said as he passed the two. "I just hope you've taken your precautions".

Cassandra paused for a moment.

As Caleb reached for the doorknob, the countess asked: "Wait. What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing much," Caleb replied as he turned to face the two. "I am just wondering if you have truly considered the situation that you have placed yourself and your daughter in. There are many issues to consider. The first of which is that Stella had to experience her parents go through a rather lengthy and bitter divorce, correct?"

"Well, yes, there were some problems," Cassandra admitted. "But I am sure that the king and queen are good friends these days".

"But is that how Stella sees it?" Caleb asked. "Doesn't she still love them both? Doesn't she want them together?"

"I... I don't know," Cassandra said uncertainly. "She might. I don't know her that well".

"If she does want to get them back together, then you have made yourself a problem. To put it bluntly. you're in the way," Caleb continued. "And you can be sure Stella is going to do everything in her power to make you look bad. She will twist every action and every word if necessary".

"That... She might... There's no guarantee that's how she will see it," the countess argued.

"No, I can't. But you cannot say that it is an impossible scenario," Caleb argued. "And what about Chimera? As you said, she and Stella have started their own little civil war. And maybe Stella can't do much more than pranks at the moment, but what when she takes the throne? Unless Chimera has completely managed to change Stella's opinion of her, she will most likely be married off to some low ranking noble who lives far away from everything. Would be a most undesirable fate". Caleb took a couple of steps towards Cassandra, who was beginning to look quite nervous at the prospect of the well-dressed man's dire predictions. "And do you know what the worst case scenario is?"

"Wha... What would that be?" Cassandra asked.

"Thing is, Chimera is the better noble. Better educated, better mannered and better connected. Not to mention that Stella's power over light is rather useless here in Solaria. Who really needs more light? No, Chimera's control over clouds, now that is something that is beneficial," Caleb continued. "Some of the families might even start thinking that Chimera would be the superior queen of the two. And it would be entirely legal now that you are getting married. Radius will never see it that way, of course, but others will. And when Stella gets the throne, she could conclude that Chimera is a threat. And if Chimera is a threat, well, I think you can imagine the rest yourself".

"No... That's..." Cassandra said as she fumbled with her words. Even Chimera looked disturbed at the thought. "Radius has promised me that he will do everything he can to ensure our families are harmoniously united".

"Well, then there's nothing to worry about," Caleb said with a friendly smile. "As long as you can trust him of course".

Cassandra froze. The Pollon family was one of the branches that had been kicked out of the royak fanily after the civil war, though they had not fallen as far from grace as someone like the Aldis family had. But her parents had still tried to instil in her the skillset and mindset of a social climber. And rule number one for moving in noble society was simple.

Don't trust anybody.

And as she considered the dozens of horrible scenarios that could arise from having the heiress as an enemy, many of them branching from Caleb's grim predictions, she felt afraid. Afraid for herself and especially afraid for her daughter. And what trust she had in her husband-to-be faded in the cold, steely grip of fear. She eyed her daughter for a moment, who sat still as a statue, before taking a deep breath and asking: "And what do you want me to do about it?"

"I do have an idea of how you could protect yourself," Caleb said while adjusting his gloves. "Of course, I don't work for free. I'll need a little favour before I can help you. Nothing big, of course".

"Name your prize and I will consider whether your help is worth it," Cassandra said coldly.

"Very well," Caleb said. "I have an interest in arteficing. The Eye of Solaris is rarely viewed by anyone but those of noble blood, so I'd like a chance to observe it up close".

"And you're just going to observe it? Not breaking or taking it?" the countess asked suspiciously, trying to find some sort of hidden trap in the man's proposal.

"I promise you that you will still have the artefact once I've had a look at it," Caleb said with a warm smile.

Cassandra mulled it over. "So, you get a look at the Eye of Solaris in exchange for giving your advice on what I can do to protect my daughter and myself?" she asked for clarification.

"And you are completely free to not follow my advice. And if you choose to follow it, I can even do a little to help smooth things out," Caleb continued. "So, do we have a deal?"

Cassandra sighed and said: "Yes, we have a deal. I'll show you the room. Come, Chimera".

As the three of them left the room, Chimera kept close to her mother and quietly asked: "Mom. Can we trust him?"

"Of course not," her mother replied, throwing a glance at the well-dressed man that followed them while humming an unfamiliar melody. "That is also why I am bringing you along. I'm no magi and it is possible he will try something once we reach the artefact. Keep an eye on him. You have my permission to do anything necessary if he tries anything".

"Right," Chimera replied.

As the three of them ascended the stairs that would take them to the Chamber of Suns, they passed the recently dressed up Stella and Bloom who were going the other direction. Both greeted the countess before they continued on, busy talking. As Bloom passed by Caleb, she felt something and glanced at the unknown man. She noticed that he was looking at her too, before she moved on. For a few seconds afterwards, she could feel him staring at her.

"I think he was, like, totally checking you out," Stella said quietly, but amused as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "And he didn't look bad himself either. Killer dress sense".

"Yeah. Who was that?" Bloom asked.  
"No idea. Probably one of Cassandra's staff," Stella shrugged. "Or maybe family".

Caleb watched the redhead for a few seconds more, before shaking his head and continuing upwards.

Soon after, Cassandra opened the doors to the Chamber of the Suns and let the three into the domed room.

"My, it is quite marvellous, I must say," Caleb said as he walked into the illusionary model, which was currently showing the solar system that Horus was in. "It is a shame that such a powerful relic has been relegated to the role of entertainment, but I gather most consider it rather useless nowadays". He approached the illusionary sun. "Isn't that typical. That the unique and wonderful is thrown away. Marked as obsolete and useless. Only good for a laugh. It seems sad for something that was once regarded with such respect". He slowly reached out toward the illusion, still talking. "To be forgotten and disrespected, only to have new life breathed into it. To find new purpose. Is there any greater boon one can give to what has been left behind?"

Cassandra and Chimera eyed one another. "I think you've seen enough," the countess insisted. "I think we should leave. Now".

"Really now," Caleb said as he felt his fingers brush the stone object inside the illusion. "I just need one more moment". Suddenly, all the illusions vanished. All that remain of the display was the ancient object known as the Eye of Solaris, which the well-dressed mage slowly pulled his hand away from.

"What... What did you do?" Cassandra asked.

Chimera began fiddling with the controls, but the artefact did not respond. "Mom, something's wrong. The machine is not responding".

"Perhaps, I should introduce myself properly," Caleb said as he turned around to face the two. "Caleb is just a name I go by occasionally. My real name though". He smirked. "Is Valtor".

Cassandra gasped.  
"Val-who?" Chimera asked.  
"But... You were... You're supposed to..." the countess stammered.

"Oh, I left Omega a couple of days ago," Valtor said with a shrug. "And as for what I did with the artefact, well, honestly I didn't do anything to it. Just like I promised. But the dragonshade within it, now that I have taken into myself". He raised his hand and bright motes of light began dancing around it. "I have taken it into me. I now control light as well as if I had been born with a knack for it. And I have you to thank for it". He smiled. "Now then, my end of the bargain. And you are still, of course, completely free to refuse it. Though I would like to note that if you don't do as I say, King Radius will find out what you have done before long. Imagine how he will react when he learns you have empowered one of the most infamous criminals of the last two decades with a Solarian artefact. I doubt he will be happy".

Cassandra rubbed her throat as she realised that she was out where she couldn't swim. "What... What would you have us do?" she sadly asked as she resigned herself to the fact that she had no choice but to do as Valtor said.

"First off, before we can get started, you'll need my mark," the dandy magi said as he stepped closer to them.

...

Bloom and Stella walked outside, the redhead wielding a parasol to shield herself from the harsh sunlight. Stella didn't need one, as her magic gave her ample protection. They crossed through the gardens to a large, flat, asphalt-covered area used for landing various flying vessels. Already, the lot was filling up with glamorously decorated vessels, many of which was more for demonstrating the wealth of the owner that for the actual transportation. Many nobles had their own private vessels and landing in the public airport was considered quite unseemly. Still, it did allow the two faerie's acquaintances to arrive to the party faster.  
Indeed, a Red Fountain owl had landed and Musa, Flora, Techna, Mirta, Brandon, Sky, Riven and Timmy had already left it and were now talking amongst themselves as they moved to meet the two.

"Welcome to Solaria, everyone," Stella greeted them enthusiastically. "I do hope you will enjoy the festivities and... Musa, what is up with that hat?"

Indeed, Musa was wearing a khaki coloured helmet-esque hat that hid all traces of her hair. "Oh, this," she replied. "It's for protection".

"Musa, that's not going to protect you from the sun if that's what you're worried about," the Solarian blonde explained. "It provides far too little shade".

"No. I meant it is for protecting everyone else," Musa said.

Bloom and Stella just had a look of silent confusion on their faces.

Riven sighed audibly and said: "She wanted to spruce up her hair for your big party. So she went to an alterer, but the alterer ran out of juice long before Musa here could make up her mind. Thus, she is stuck with a horrible 'do until her own magic can revert the changes".

"Really now, how bad could it be?" Stella asked. "I mean, if you just stay in the bahavaARGH! COVER IT UP! COVER IT UP, NOW!"

Musa had lifted the hat, revealing an almost fluorescent lime-green bowl cut, which she hid again at the princess' request. "So I assume you won't mind me keeping the hat on?"

"No. In fact, I order you to keep it on. Sheesh," Stella replied. "Come on, let's get inside". As they walked through the garden, the blonde asked: "So, I see Aisha isn't with you".

"No. And she hasn't responded to any of our calls," Timmy replied. "In fact, I couldn't reach anyone in Tides at all. So something is definitely happening over there".

"Yeah. They wouldn't shut down everything just because somebody coughed somewhere," Riven noted. "Might not be something that affects Aisha directly, but if it's bad enough, well, that might just be good enough reason to lock her up in the castle 'till the danger has passed".

"I suppose so. I just hope whatever happened isn't too bad," Stella noted.

"Hey, Bloom. So, how have you've been recently?" Sky asked as he walked up besides Bloom. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Well, I am a bit nervous," the redhead admitted. "I'm going to be mingling with all these people I barely know, even though they have been bombarding me with gifts. My second stay at Sunny Soul almost ended up as bad as the first one. At least they didn't find out where Faragonda's summerhouse was".

"Yeah, it can be quite the pain," Sky agreed. "Just smile, nod and try to find someone to talk with who's not a completely lost cause. That's how I usually get through these things".

"Other than that, I just hope Stella and her new stepsister will behave," Bloom continued. "They have been a bit... On edge".

"She's getting a stepsister. Who?" Sky asked curiously.  
"Remember that Chimera girl I told you about when you called me three days ago?" Bloom asked.

"Oh," Sky said in realisation. "Right, so don't stand between the two. Got it".

...

When they got inside, the celebration was already in full swing. Important looking people in extravagant looking clothes were talking with one another, exchanging rumours, news and so on. Stella had left the group so she could be properly introduced to the party, as was tradition.

Bloom took a deep breath as she entered the room, noting that Faragonda was sitting in a corner, enjoying some of the food while keeping an eye on the party. She gently smiled at Bloom when she noticed her.

A couple of musicians blew in their trumpets and everyone's attention went to the massive staircase in one end of the room, on top of which stood King Radius. "Ladies and gentlemen," he started. "It is with great pleasure that I introduce to all of you, my daughter, the heir to the Solarian throne, Princess Stella Guildenstern". The blue drapes behind him were pulled aside, revealing Stella in her glamorous new dress. Widespread applause broke out.

King Radius raised his hand, indicating he had more to say. "Now, I would also like to make an announcement. While a final date has not yet been determined, I will sometime this year or early next year marry Countess Cassandra Pollon. This will not affect Queen Luna Guildenstern's status as co-ruler of the kingdom". Countess Cassandra walked up besides her husband-to-be and waved, though she looked quite nervous.

Though there was still a lot of applause, Bloom could also hear a lot of murmuring between the nobles. Some had seen this coming while it was quite the news for others.

"Now then, with these announcements out of the way, let the party continue," Radius declared.

Calm music was played by a live orchestra as people returned to mingling or eating the food. Many of them quickly swarmed Stella to congratulate her on her entrance into noble society and her father's upcoming wedding.

Bloom tried to take the opportunity to find one of her friends in the crowd, but the nobles also quickly sniffed out the fact that the recently rediscovered Dominian princess was present. Soon Bloom had to content with dozens of strangers talking with her and politely coming with suggestions for how they and their family could help Bloom restore her nation's greatness, while the journalists tried to get some questions about her future policies answered. Thankfully, Faragonda was quickly there to take off the pressure by talking with one of the nobles about his son's recent enrolment at Alfea and Bloom used the moment to get away.

As she moved through the throng, trying to figure out where her friends had gone in the sea of extravagant clothes, she heard somebody going: "Not dolls, they're miniatures. And they are essential to add an extra layer of immersion to the experience. You can even get custom ones pretty cheap nowadays, even if you get them pre-painted". She had no idea who was talking, but it sounded way more familiar and comfortable to her than talks about treatises, economy and who had been sleeping with who.

As she moved through the crowd, she saw the speaker, a freckled skinny boy with large, round glasses, who had just been left alone by whomever he had been speaking to. The most noticeable part was his completely white hair. He suddenly noticed Bloom's presence and said: "Ah, your majesty. Is it Queen Bloom or is it still just Princess Bloom?"

"Just call me Bloom," the redhead replied. "I'm still not too hot about the whole title thing".

"Very well. The name's Eugene," the boy replied. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I heard you talking and it sounded way more interesting than whatever else these people have to say," Bloom said as she sat down by the long table. "No offence to them, of course".

"I hear you," Eugene sighed as he sat down too. "I mean, I understand the importance of staying up to date and such. But come on, it's supposed to be a party. Let's drop the politics for a just a second or two".

"Yeah. I'm lucky Faragonda is here. I got mobbed by curious nobles and journalists," Bloom continued. "Hopefully they'll leave me be while I'm talking with you". She paused for a moment as she realised the possible implications of her statement. "Not that I am only talking to you to avoid them. I was actually genuinely curious".

"Well, fair enough. I was just talking with some of the other noble sons and they don't understand why I buy miniature figures," Eugene explained. "They thought of them as toys that I should have outgrown years ago. Typical. You don't have my hobby or a hobby I approve of, therefore you must be immature". He rolled his eyes. "I've gotten used to it. Most nobles consider me eccentric, especially because my circle of friends include plenty of non-nobles".

"Really? That's great," Bloom said. "I think it's ridiculous to exclude people just because of their family".

"Yeah," Eugene chuckled a bit nervously. "Alright, I should probably come clean. I didn't mention my family name because I was a bit nervous it would scare you off".

"Why. Is it hard to pronounce?" the redhead joked.

"A bit," the noble nerd admitted. "My full name is Eugene Bijoux".

"Bijoux?" Bloom questioned. "Wait a moment. That's..."

"Yeah," the freckled boy said. "You've had some encounters with my big sister Isabella. Or Icy, as she often calls herself".

"You're Icy's little brother?" Bloom said surprised. "Okay then. Well, I won't hold you responsible for her actions. I'm just... A bit surprised. It's... Well, if you don't mind me saying, it's weird thinking off Icy as having a family".  
"I can imagine a lot of people feel like that," Eugene sighed. "Probably why everyone was okay with sending her to Omega. But I always remember her as my kind big sister. She loved us. Even if she ended up having a... Disturbing way of showing it. We really hoped Lightrock would help her, but then Darkar happened and then..." He sighed and removed his glasses so he could rub his eye. "Look, sorry to bring down the mood. I just wanted to come clean so it didn't seem suspicious. If you found it out on your own, it might seem like I was trying to pull something".

"If I remember correctly, your family reaffirmed their loyalty to my family last year," Bloom said as she thought back.

"Yes. We still support you, of course," Eugene said. "Now, let us drop that dreary subject. As I said, it's a party and we should be having fun".

"Of course," Bloom said. "So, what do you and your circle of friends do together?"

"We play RPG's, video games and so on," Eugene replied. "We're hoping my family can save up for our very own simulator room. Those are expensive, but imagine the experience if you could host a game in there. It would take the the whole thing to the next level. We've actually tried it with rented ones, usually running one-shots due to time constraints. It's amazing".

"That does sound fun," Bloom said. "Though I am curious. All these worlds seem like something out of a fantasy from where I come from. So what do people like you imagine yourself doing now that there are trolls, ogres and dragons running around in reality".

"There's plenty of things from mythology to play around with," Eugene said. "Like cockatrices, for example. Nasty critters that were thought to be capable of turning people to stone by looking them in the eyes. But there's no evidence that they have ever existed. It's just about one of the nastiest critters I can throw at my group".

As Eugene began recounting his experiences with his circle of friends, a slow waltz-like piece of music was played and many couples began dancing. It was a very slow dance, much to the annoyance of people like Techna and Musa who distinctly favoured dancing to something with a bit more kick to it.

As was tradition, King Radius danced with his daughter. This was usually seen as symbolic of the line of succession. Daughters dance with their fathers and sons with their mothers. Of course, it always brought out rumours about just how close the branches of the family tree really was, but a noble house without rumours of incest wasn't considered worth talking about in the first place.

"So, how's your party going so far?" King Radius asked as he danced with his daughter.

"It's been fantastic, Dad," Stella replied. "Though I do wish I could hang with my friends some more".

"There'll be plenty of time for that once most of the guests have left in a few hours," Radius assured her.

As they moved through the dancing crowd, Stella felt somebody place a hand on her slightly exposed shoulders. She felt a strange warm sensation and was about to turn around to ask what was up, when pain surged through her body. She fell to the floor and nearby people backed away in shock.

"STELLA! STELLA!" her father called as his daughter lay convulsing on the floor. Her dress began tearing as her body grew. Her skin rippled as it became greenish and slimy. Her fingers shortened and webbing grew between them. Her skull broadened as her eyes grew and her teeth turned sharp.

Radius was about to move to assist her, when something touched his shoulders and he felt a strange warm sensation. Then something wormed its way into his mind. As Stella's transformation ceased and the reshaped princess tried to get her bearings, Radius felt only revulsion. "GUARDS!" he called. "THE PRINCESS HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A SHAPECHANGER! ARREST IT!"

"What?" Stella croaked in confusion, as panic broke out amongst the guests while guards tried to force their way towards her. "No. Dad, it's me. I'm not..." She tried to get up and get to her father, but the king pulled away from her and two guards got in the way, pointing their guns, ordering: "Stay where you are".

Stella stumbled backwards as her mind raced to figure out what was going on. Noise and alarm permeated the hall as the guests fought to get out while guards tried to get in. The two guards protecting the king moved forward to apprehend her when a chair went flying across the room, hitting one of the guards and sending him stumbling into the other. A third guard moved to arrest Stella, but something in the throng of people tripped him and he crashed to the floor.

As Stella tried to get her bearing, something pulled her hand and she was suddenly dragged through the crowd by Musa. "Let's get you out of here," the musician said as she pulled the transformed princess through the panicked crowd.

"But... My dad," Stella protested.

"Look, something's not right here and we need to get out," Musa insisted. As they pulled free from the crowd, Techna ran up to them and followed them out of the room. The scarred girl immediately closed the doors behind them and blocked it with some nearby furniture.

"Okay, the fuck just happened?" the magenta-haired asked as she turned to the two. "Why did Stella turn into a frog? And why is her dad trying to arrest her?"

"I... I don't know," Stella croaked, still somewhat in shock. "I was just dancing and then... This happened".

"What is going on?" came a voice and the three turned to see Bloom and Flora run up to them from another hallway. "Why are you running from the guards?"

"Because somebody just pulled the rug under everybody in the middle of a high profile event and I think we should get Stella away from here before we have any calm discussions about what to do," Musa said.

"She's got a point," Bloom added. "If somebody could target Stella in the middle of the princess ball, I doubt the Solarian prison will be safer for her".

"I suppose that would be quite the risk," Flora agreed. "Alright then, let us prioritize getting out. I have sent Mirta with Sky and last I saw them they were heading outside, so let us assume our friends are okay and focus on getting Stella out".

"Crap. More guards incoming," Techna noted as several of the uniformed Solarian guards rushed around a corner. "Let's get moving".

As they ran, Flora threw a handful of seeds, which grew into a thick wall of vines, preventing the group of guardsfrom pursuing.

"Okay. If we can get to the owl, we'll be safe," Bloom said as they hurried through the castle.

"But they will most likely shut down the parking lot until the situation is under control," Flora said. "The same goes for the front gate".

"I... I know... A way... Out," Stella gasped, her new body unsuited for running. "Just need... To get... Outside".

They rounded a corner and entered a hallway that led to a garden door, but more guards were rushing in. The girls turned around and ran another way, passing by confused service personnel and opulent decorations as they fled the guards. Another group got in their way and the faeries were forced to run up a set of stairs to get away.

"How many guards are there even in this castle?" Musa asked as Techna dropped a couple of her flashbangs to distract their pursuers.

"A couple... Of dozens," Stella gasped, her every step causing her amphibian body to undulate.

They reached a new hallway, only to see another group of guards rushing them. They ran through a guest room, Bloom blocking the door behind them with a wall of fire. They ran through another hallway and were forced up a set of spiralling stairs by an elevator, where Techna dropped her remaining explosives, which she had originally saved for a planned fireworks display. As the guards staggered through the smoke, blinded by the many colours, the girls rushed through the door at the top and entered the observatory.  
"Oh no..." Stella gasped as the others blocked the door. "Dead end".

"Maybe we can find some way down," Flora suggested. "If the architecture outside is conducive to such an attempt".

They heard something heavy smash into the blocked door, followed by somebody yelling: "GET ME A BARRIER BUSTER, NOW!"  
"Well, we better come up with something fast" Techna noted. "Because we don't have much time left".


	3. The Beauty is the Beast

Chapter 3: The Beauty is the Beast

"What do we do? What do we do?" Stella croaked in panic as she eyed the door. "They're going to tots bust down that door any second".

"We're pretty far above ground," Techna commented as she looked out of one of the windows. "Do any of you have any powers that will enable us to fly?"

The scarred girl received a multitude of nos.

"See, this is why I gotta make that wingpack thing work," Techna commented.

"We need to investigate the outside of the castle. Its design might give us an idea," Flora suggested as she opened one of the windows. She peeked out and checked the wall, commenting: "The outside is somewhat rough. I could conjure some plants to create a ladder for us, but it will be risky".

Outside, they could hear one of the guards yell: "GET THAT DOOR OPEN, NOW!"

"Risky sounds good," Musa commented. "Do it".

"Very well," Flora said and pulled out another handful of seeds. She placed them on the windowsill and concentrated. Seconds later, they exploded into green vines that quickly grew down the side of the castle wall.

"Alright, let's get going," Bloom said. Stella was the first to climb out, having to be pushed through the window by her friends due to her enlarged form. Next went Techna, then Musa and Bloom. As Flora made her way through the window, a puff sound echoed through the room and Flora noticed that the door and some of the frame crumbled to dust. The guards immediately went to work pushing the blocking objects out of the way, with the captain yelling: "YOU THERE! STOP!"  
"Not happening," Flora replied as she slid out the window and began climbing down. The vines had done their best to grab on to the wall, but Flora knew it would have been safer if they had gone one at the time. But the guards were too close to catching them to make that a realistic option. Even as they made their way down, the plant began shaking as their combined weight slowly unhooked it from its anchor points.

"I don't like the way this thing is shaking," Musa commented.

"We gotta get down. Fast," Bloom said.

There was a sudden tearing sound and the vines were ripped free from the wall. The girls screamed as they suddenly experienced freefall, before landing in a spongy white mass.

"Good throw, Timmy," Sky commented as he, Brandon and Timmy ran up to the the girls. "Are you girls alright?"

"Yeah. I just need my heart to stop beating like a drummer on an energy drink binge," Musa commented. "Impact foam. Nice going".

As the protective substance slowly dried and disintegrated, Brandon said: "The guards will be here any second. Come, we can talk over by those trees". The group charged through the gardens to the thick cluster of trees the brunette had pointed out. Timmy stood guard outside the cluster, keeping an eye on the people that began swarming the palace grounds, as the others began discussing the events.  
"Okay, so what happened? Why was Stella transformed? And why did her father try to arrest her?" Brandon asked, gesturing to his girlfriend, who sat on an exposed root looking quite glum.

"Wish I knew. We were just in there trying to party and suddenly everything went cray-cray," Techna replied. "Good thing Cacophony here was quick on her feet and got Blondie dragged out of there, or else she would been in the slammer by now".

"I do not think the king was entirely himself," Flora said. "It is unlikely that he would just assume that Stella was an impostor".

"Maybe it was the rapid transformation that threw him for a loop," Musa suggested. "I mean, rapid transformations like that usually either means the person themself is a master of transformation or requires extreme concentration and closeness. Yet nobody saw anyone approach Stella".

"Actually, I did feel someone touch me right before... This," Stella croaked sadly, gesturing to her transformed body.

"But is a touch enough to do that?" Bloom questioned.  
"Damn, there's so many questions," Sky said, scratching his head.

"Listen, I don't think we have a lot of time left," Timmy said as he peaked in. "You better hurry up".

"Right. The guards have shut down the parking lot, so we can't bring you along," Brandon said.

"I know another way out," Stella said. "There's a secret tunnel that can get us outside into Solaria City".

"Wait, can't you just use the sceptre and teleport us out?" Bloom asked.

"No," the blonde croaked sadly. "Somehow, this transformation is interfering with my magic. I can't even use my knack. And the staff is keyed to my family's bloodline. Even if I could teach you how to use it before the guards get us, there's no way we could break the protective enchantments before being caught".

"Then I suppose this secret tunnel of yours is our only realistic option," Flora commented.

"Then do that and call us in an hour or so. We should be cleared by then," Brandon said. "Now go. If they see us together they will arrest us too".

"Alright. See you on the other side," Bloom said, and the girls followed Stella deeper into the gardens while the Red Fountain boys headed towards the parking lot.

As the girls rushed through the gardens, they could suddenly hear barking in the distance.

"Oh no, they've released the hounds," Stella croaked nervously as they ran into the thick grove of trees and plants that filled up the back end of the gardens.

"Then we better run faster," Techna commented.

Even as the girls hurried between the trees, they could hear the growling and barking animals closing in. The faeries began speeding up, eager to get away from the ferocious hounds, but Stella found it hard to keep up in her new form. She gasped as she felt her legs burn with white-hot pain from the exercise, before she with a yell tripped over an exposed root.

"STELLA!" Bloom called and the girls stopped.

"I'm okay. I'm okay," the blonde amphibian tried to reassure them as she tried to force herself up. She heard noise behind her and turned around to see what it was. A huge dog leapt between the trees straight for her and Stella raised an arm while screaming for help.

Then the hound began licking her face.

The other girls, who had already charged their magic to assist, stared at the scene.

"Well. Looks like they like her," Musa said as more of the guard dogs moved to the fallen princess.

"Oh, thanks Solaris," Stella sighed as she began petting the happy animals. "They recognise me. They have been trained to recognise the royal family. They know who I am even now".

"Wow. Sad that your dogs are smarter than your guards," Techna commented with an amused smirk.

"Oh be nice, I'm sure they're doing their best," Stella admonished as she finished petting the dogs. "Now off you go. I can't play with you all day". Happily, the dogs ran off again, probably to join up with the guards.

"Now then, let us find that exit," Stella commented as she led the others deeper into the overgrown area.

...

"Geez, wouldn't expect a desert kingdom to have a forest like this," Musa commented as they continued into the area, the trees above providing much needed shade from the sun.  
"Yeah, it's neat. Most plants here on Horus are totally efficient when it comes to water, able to grow with very little," Stella explained. "But right below us is one of the country's, like, largest reservoirs of water. So the gardeners here have long ago given up keeping this area under control".

"But, then why have your family walled it off from the rest of the kingdom?" Musa asked.  
"To prevent water theft or poisoning," Stella replied. "We must also be careful to avoid accidental pollution and such. I mean, nowadays it tots wouldn't be the biggest of deals, but we still, like, want to be careful with it".

"So, what is this tunnel you mentioned?" Bloom asked. "An emergency exit or something like it?"

"Well... Yes, I guess you could call it something like that," the transformed princess admitted. "Though it is just a naturally formed tunnel I found as a child. I think it might have been carved by water before we started using the reservoir, but, like, I'm not certain. I used it as a child to get outside the palace without anybody noticing, so I could go to parties and such".

"Didn't you get recognised?" Musa asked.

"No. The press doesn't keep as close an eye on royal children," Stella replied. "So while people knew I existed, they couldn't pick me out of a line-up. Combine that with a new hairstyle, some slightly less glamorous clothes and some fake glasses and voilà. A new Stella". She paused for a moment. "Though it has been years since I've last used it. I hope it's still passable".

"If not, we'll just have to blow up the garden walls a bit," Techna added nonchalant.

Stella continued to lead them to the farthest end of the overgrown area, where there stood a tree, a tattered and dirty pink ribbon tied to one of its branches.

"Ah, here it is," Stella noted as she moved some bushes. "I left that thing as a kid to mark the tree". As she moved the plant around, an opening just beneath the tree was revealed.

"And your parents never found out?" Flora asked as the girls made their way into the underground tunnel.

"Not sure," Stella replied as she pushed some roots out of the way, allowing the girls to continue through the tunnel. "I think they, like, figured out that I occasionally disappeared, but sometimes I would also just play in the forest for an hour or two. I've never told them, so who knows?"

"I think the most shocking revelation is that you used to be an outdoors person," Musa snarked.

"What can I say? It was better than doing nothing," the transformed blonde responded.

"It's getting dark down here," Bloom noted as they continued down the tunnel. "Should I conjure a flame?"

"Couldn't hurt," Techna commented. "I'd like to know what the heck it is I'm stepping in". A bright flame lit up in the palm of the redhead's hand and Techna commented: "Ah, I see. Mud. Lots and lots of mud".

"This place is a bit damper than I remember," Stella noted.

"Be careful. These walls look like they are mostly made of earth," Flora noted. "The dampness could potentially have caused them to become unstable".

"Oh. That sucks," Techna said as she eyed the walls with suspicion.

They kept walking for a few minutes, occasionally squeezing around semi-collapsed sections, which quickly caused their clothes and shoes to be covered in mud.

"I hate this stupid, bloated body," Stella grumbled, as her friends had to push and pull to get her past a collapsed section. "And I'm tots going to have Dad fix this stupid muddy tunnel once we've figured out how to beat some sense into him. Honestly, why... Well, that is new". Stella eyed the tunnel ahead of them, which split in two.

"So... Which tunnel is it?" Musa asked.

"I have no idea," Stella admitted as she investigated the fork. "There was only one tunnel last time I went through here. I guess someone else must have been using this place, though Solaris knows what for".

"Well, so which way do we go then?" Bloom asked.  
"Ehm... Well... Does anybody have a coin?" the transformed blonde asked.

"I got one right here," Techna said as she fished the round piece of metal out of her pocket. She flipped it in the air with her thump, cached it and said: "Alright. Going left".

"Sounds good to me," Musa said as the group took the left tunnel.

They continued their descent, careful not to slip on the tunnel's slippery floor. As they followed the path, Musa looked up, noticing several shadowy holes in the ceiling revealed by Bloom's flame. "Hey, what are those holes for?"

"Holes?" Stella asked and looked at the tunnel's ceiling. "Huh, would you look at that? I'm actually not sure".

"I suspect animals may be responsible," Flora offered.

"Well, what kind of Solarian animals make nests like that?" Techna asked as she leaned against a wall, only to immediately jerk away from it with a: "Eurk. What did I touch now?" She held up her hand, sticky strings gluing her fingers together.

Stella's eyes widened and she exclaimed: "Oh no!"

"Oh no, what... Stella," Bloom said slowly as she eyed one of the holes with rising terror.

Out of one of the holes crawled a spider with a body the size of a pit bull, long, black legs keeping it attached to the ceiling. From the other holes, more arachnids began crawling out, sensing the presence of prey.

"Tunnel spiders," Stella whimpered as she backed away. "They have infested the tunnel".

Flora raised her hands and massive roots burst out of the walls, blocking the part of the tunnel the girls had come from, keeping the spiders away.

"We got more incoming," Techna said and pointed in the other direction, where more of the oversized arachnids were advancing.

Bloom and Musa combined their magic, sending a fiery shockwave through the tunnel, roasting and crushing the approaching spiders.

There was a moment of peace, as the dead spiders lay sizzling in the dried mud.

Then a pebble fell from the roof. And then another one. And then a big rock dropped into the mud with a plomp.

"Oops," Musa said as the unstable ceiling above them started to crack.

"RUN!" Flora yelled and the girls made a mad dash as the tunnel caved in. Ahead, the tunnel terminated in a dark pool of water, but left with the choice between water and cave-in, the girls leapt into the dark waters as the tunnel completely caved in on itself.

Bloom felt confused as darkness enveloped her. She desperately tried to conjure another flame, but the water around her extinguished the flame as soon as she tried. She was struggling to right herself, trying to find out what was up and down, when she felt a tiny sting of pain on her arm. She tried to brush something away, only to feel another sting on her neck. And one on her leg. And one one her hand. As she struggled against the numerous pains, she felt tiredness overwhelm her.

Stella, however, found herself surprisingly capable of observing what was going on, her eyes easily adjusting to the low-light environment. Not that the sight filled her with hope. Several black, small wormlike beings were attaching themselves to her friends, even as they struggled to navigate the dark waters. Magus leeches. Tiny water-dwelling beings capable of vampirically sucking the energy out of a victim. The transformed princess desperately tried to come up with an idea. She could pluck the leeches off, but her friends would most likely drown before she was done. And even if she could pull it off, they were still trapped underwater. Desperately, she looked around and noticed one of the walls was made out of bricks. Hoping her actions wouldn't mess up the reservoir too much, she charged the wall, using her webbed hands and feet for extra speed. Her massive bulk slammed into it and she felt it give way. First, only a couple of bricks fell out, but as the water rushed through the newly created hole it ripped more and more bricks out. Stella allowed herself follow the stream, making sure to rip more bricks out as she slipped through the hole. She landed on her butt in a rapidly flooding corridor, soon followed by her friends.

The transformed princess immediately began plucking the leeches off her tired looking friends.

Musa coughed up some water, before commenting: "I hate... Almost drowning".

"As long as it's just an almost," Techna commented as she ripped one of the leeches off. "Where are we?"

"Dunno," Stella said as she looked around. "Probably one of the maintenance tunnels that, like, helps people keep an eye on the water distribution". She eyed the water that was rapidly spewed from the ever-widening hole, sighed and said: "I hope I didn't totally screw up the water network, but I had to get you gals out of there".

"And I am sure whatever damage you did is easier to deal with than the four of us dying," Flora said.

"Wait. How come the leeches didn't go after you?" Bloom asked.

"My magical energy is low at the moment. Part of the transformation," Stella replied. "So I guess I just wasn't as tempting".

"Well, now that we can add being worm food to the list of delightful things we have experienced, I say we get out of here," Musa commented. "Preferably before we end up almost drowning again".

"Indeed. Let us get going," Flora said. The group followed the semi-flooded corridor, soon after finding a stairway that led them outside into Solaria City. From there, they contacted Sky, which resulted in them being picked up by the owl less than five minutes later.

...

"I'm home," Valtor declared as he exited the magical portals. "How have things been?"

Darcy, who was currently reading a newspaper, looked up and said: "Great. We got the food moved and the merfolk have fixed the toilets and three bedrooms. The place is shaping up". She turned a page and continued with: "By the way, seems like Solaria just went through some rather major events. Any of it your doing?"

"Well, I have more or less just taken over the country," Valtor said as he sat down by the table.

Stormy, who was sitting nearby writing in her new diary, looked up and asked: "Wait, how did you just take over a country in less than three days? We spent a whole year trying to take over Magicalis and we still failed miserably".

"Well, I found a person that was simultaneously powerful, weak and vulnerable to suggestions," Valtor replied. "It's surprisingly easy to exploit weak links in centralized governments if you know what you're looking for". After a moment, he added: "Still, it is the deceptive, hidden kind of control, so you shouldn't expect me to make the Solarians throw us a parade or anything any time soon".

"Well, gotta admit, you do get results," Icy said as she walked down the stairs. "So, what's the big plan?"

"Good question, Icy," Valtor replied. "I must admit, I do not have anything but a vague idea of how I want to achieve my goals. I will need to do some research, see how things have changed in the last seventeen years".

"Well, you already have one country under your control. So that's a start," Darcy said as she flipped a page. "Oh, wow. Hey Icy, your brother is in the newspaper".

"Really? Another article making fun of him for attending some convention, I presume," Icy said bitterly. "Honestly, I still don't know why he wouldn't just let me track down that journalist and nail him to a wall".

"It's so comforting to see that you can't even show sisterly affection without being a completely murderous psychopath," Stormy mumbled a bit bitterly.

Icy looked like she was about to respond, but Darcy cut off that particular discussion with: "Actually, this journalist suspects he may have found true love".

"Fantastic. With who?" Icy asked, rolling her eyes.

"Bloom," Darcy said, turning the newspaper so a picture of Eugene and Bloom sitting by a table could be seen.

"WHAT!" the white-haired witch yelled and snatched the paper out of the dirty-blonde's hands. "WHAT THE FUCK IS SHE DOING WITH HIM!?"

"I guess they were at the very least talking," Darcy said nonchalant.

"You redhead bitch," Icy scowled at the picture. "Trying to mess with my family again. Just like when you got them to swear loyalty last year".

Stormy was about to remind the irate witch that her family had chosen to do that of their own volition, but Darcy signalled to her that it would be unwise to bring that up.

"I'm curious. Who is this Bloom?" Valtor asked as he poured himself a glass of cold water.

"This girl," Icy said angrily, pointing to the newspaper.

"Oh, her. I think I saw her in the castle," the dandy magi noted. Then he quietly noted: "The resemblance is uncanny".

"The what?" Darcy asked.

"Sorry. I was just reminiscing," Valtor replied. "Anyway, so who is she?"

"She's part of the Kadmos family and therefore the heir to the throne of Domino," Stormy replied.

Valtor chuckled and asked: "What, did they find some cousin and slap the name on her so they could get a ruler?"

"Actually, she's the youngest daughter of the Kadmos royal family," Darcy corrected him.

Valtor, who was taking a sip of water, suddenly went bug-eyed. He managed to swallow the water, though it looked like he almost managed to choke himself in the process. "That's... Khrk... That's impossible," he noted as he composed himself. "The people of Domino were all sealed in the Obsidian Prison. Including the royal family". He paused. "Domino is still cursed, right?"

"Yeah. No one's been able to break the curse, so it's still deep frozen," Stormy said.

"Then it is preposterous to think that she could be the youngest daughter," Valtor concluded. "How would she have escaped one of the most powerful curses ever devised? As a baby no less".

"Not sure, but it resulted in her ending up on Earth," Darcy explained. "There, she was found by Princess Stella Guildenstern about two years ago. She was brought to Alfea, learned about her heritage and so on. She even has the dragonflame in her".

"And you're sure of that?" Valtor asked, looking quite surprised.

"Considering how many times she used it to blow us up, yeah, we're pretty fucking sure alright," Stormy commented.

"How curious," Valtor quietly said as he took the newspaper out of Icy's hands and studied the paper. "It doesn't make sense, but... Well, that would explain why. The resemblance, that strange feeling. I don't know how, but..." He paused for a moment, before softly saying: "That really is her". He looked at the witches: "So, you had some trouble with her I take it?"

"Her and her circle of friends," Icy growled. "We should have gotten rid of them ages ago, but _somebody_ here keeps insisting on letting them go".

"Yes. Because as we saw from how you handled Pixie Village, killing people works so much better," Darcy dryly commented. "By the way, can you still taste the soles of Amentia's feet? Just, you know, considering how much she kicked your ass".

Icy responded with a snarl while Stormy snickered.

"It would seem that you three have quite the stories to share," Valtor noted. "I'd very much like to hear of what has transpired". He suddenly received a mental notice from his mind-controlled merfolk and turned to see them drag two non-controlled merfolk inside the watery area. "Again?" he sighed.

"Yep. And there's five more in the prison block," Icy noted.  
Valtor sighed again, before commenting: "Apparently, they don't yet get that they shouldn't try to interfere with my business". He smirked. "But I'm sure they will understand once we manage to send them the proper... Well, message".

...

The Red Fountain owl blasted into existence far above Magix and began its descend through the atmosphere. Inside, the girls were utterly trashed. Musa and Flora had already fallen asleep, the latter using Mirta's shoulder as a pillow. Techna's head constantly bobbed as she fought to stay awake and Bloom sat yawning in the pilot's chair next to Sky. In the back, Stella sat on a bench, her body enveloped in a large cloak, despondently looking at her feet.

"You okay?" Brandon asked as he sat down beside her.

"Please don't look at me right now," Stella croaked sadly, as she tugged at the cloak. "I'm hideous".

"Hey, it's okay," the squire said comfortingly as he placed an arm around her shoulder. "I'm here to help. It's going to be okay".

The transformed blonde was quiet for a moment, before leaning against her boyfriend for comfort. "I just don't know what went wrong," she said as Brandon gently stroked her head. "Everything was going fine. Sure, Chimera was being an uppity bitch, but I could survive that. Now I'm a giant frog person, my father hates me and I've had to flee my own kingdom".

"Come on, Stella, you being a frog is not all bad," Techna groggily said.

"Oh really?" the blonde asked sceptically.

"Sure. If you hadn't been a frog person, you wouldn't have been able to save us all from drowning," Techna replied. "Plus, Wizgiz will have you fixed up in no time".

"Strange as it sounds, that does actually make me feel a bit better," Stella noted a bit surprised. She went quiet for a moment, before saying: "Thanks. To both of you".

"It's what I'm here for," Brandon said.

In the front of the vessel, Bloom called Alfea with the ship's radio. "Hello, is anyone there?" she said into the microphone. "It's Bloom Peterson speaking".

"Bloom? Can you hear me?" came Faragonda's voice.

"Loud and clear," the redhead responded.

"Thanks goodness you're okay," the relieved headmistress said. "I was so worried when I lost sight of you and the others during the party. I was ordered to leave the area without a chance to look for you. What happened?"

"Something transformed Stella and tricked her father into thinking she was an infiltrator," Bloom said. "We had to get her out of there. There were some complications, but we managed to get away".

There was a short pause on the other end. "Complications?"

"Well, we kinda had to flee out of the observatory, which almost ended with us falling to our death from the third floor," Bloom explained. "Then they sicced the dogs at us, which only ended well because they recognised Stella. Which I think is good evidence that she really isn't an infiltrator. Anyway, then there was the tunnel with the giant spiders, the cave-in and then we almost drowned in the reservoir. So yeah, it's been a busy night".

There was more silence from the other side. "How do you keep managing to get into these kinds of situations despite my best efforts?"

"To be honest Emanuela, I'm starting to suspect the universe has it in for our group," Bloom replied. "Anyway, we're approaching Alfea. How soon can we get some help for Stella?"

"Well, me, Griselda and Wizgiz are already at the school, so hopefully we will have Stella's problem solved before long," the fairy headmistress replied.

...

Stella sat on a chair in Wizgiz' office, watching nervously as the leprechaun paced around her, occasionally stopping to do some minor magic. Her friends were all spread across the room, anxiously awaiting the results. Griselda and Faragonda sat behind the leprechaun's desk, watching the scene with intense interest.

"Alright lassie, I have a few questions for yer," Wizgiz finally stated. "And I want ye to answer immediately, with as little delay as possible. Just say the first thing that pops into yer mind".

"Alright. I can do that," Stella replied, though she looked a bit confused.

"What is yer hair colour?" Wizgiz started.  
"Blonde," came the answer immediately.

"What is yer eye colour?"

"Brown".

"What is yer skin colour?"  
"Green... Wait, no," Stella replied shaking her head. "I'm... I'm actually pretty fair skinned".

"What is yer weight?" Wizgiz continued.

"About a hundred and... No, that's not... I'm about... I was about..." Stella shook her head as she tried to focus. "You know, asking that of a woman is rude".

"It is as I feared," Wizgiz sighed. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be able to fix ye anytime soon".

"WHAT!?" came the reply from just about everyone in the room.

"Listen, this is not just a transformation," Wizgiz told them. "This is a very complicated spell that has been woven into Stella's very being. It's not just physical. It is actively affecting her mental image of herself. Even if I were able to overcome the enchantments that lock her in this form, the moment she gets her magic back it would actively transform her back, undoing any work I've done. At the very least, I need Avalon's and Palladium's assistance and neither of them have arrived yet. And even when they do, it will probably be months before we can properly deduce how to break this magic. It's quite complicated, let me tell ye".

"I'm going to look like this for months?" Stella asked, as her face went through some strange motions. "I... I can't even cry in this stupid body". Frustrated, she stomped the floor repeatedly.

"Yes, well, I'm afraid that is how it will have to be. I'm no miracle worker, I'm afraid," Wizgiz replied apologetically.

"Is there really no way to expedite the process?" Griselda asked.

"Well, actually there is something. Give me a moment, and I'll get the book," the leprechaun said before hurrying out of the office.

"A transformation spell even Wizgiz couldn't break? What is going on here?" Musa asked.

"I don't know. But I would say this indicates that what happened to Stella wasn't merely some prank that went out of control," Faragonda stated.

"You said that King Radius started acting strange after her transformation, yes?" Griselda inquired.

"Yeah. Tried to have her thrown in the cooler. Thought she was some face-stealing spook I imagine," Techna replied.

"That would be an uncharacteristic overreaction on his majesty's part," Faragonda commented. "If whomever created this spell is powerful enough to affect Stella's self-image, I suspect they could also twist Radius' mind".

"Are you saying someone is mind-controlling my father?" Stella gasped horrified.

"There's no guarantee of course. But it is a possibility that cannot be denied," the headmistress responded.

"Found it," Wizgiz said as he came back in, waving a book. "I knew I had read something about this the other day".

"What is it, Professor?" Bloom asked.

"Well, with the discovery of the troglodytes, there's been a massive exchange of information," Wizgiz replied. "Including geographical knowledge. This book is a catalogue of naturally magical sites, or artefact sites, which has been vastly expanded thanks to our underground friends". He flipped through the pages. "Here it is. The Mirror of Truth. Capable of restoring people to their true selves".

"And it will cure me?" Stella asked eagerly.

"Well, to be honest, lassie, the site has not been checked yet. We only have the troglodytes' word for it," the leprechaun admitted. "But it's worth a shot".

"And where is it?" Faragonda asked.

"Inside one of the mountains in the Barrier Peaks," Wizgiz replied. "And that area is not entirely safe, so my suggestion is that if yer gonna try this, then ye will need an escort".

"Well, we could probably assist if Red Fountain will let us," Brandon said. "I mean, we are starting our fourth year and we are veterans of two major conflicts. I think we should be able to handle it".

"Hmm, well, I suppose so," Faragonda replied.  
"In that case, we're going with her too," Musa said.

"Yeah. We stick together," Techna added.

"Absolutely not," the headmistress strictly said. "It is highly unnecessary for all of you to..." She paused as she eyed the girls. She sighed and asked: "And if I try to stop you, you'll just sneak aboard?"

"Sorry, but we can't just stay back while Stella is at risk," Bloom said apologetically.

"Not to mention, they are adults and school won't start before next week," Wizgiz added. "Unless the staff at Red Fountain refuses to let them come aboard, we can't do anything about it".

"Yes. I've noticed that has become a recurring theme," Faragonda replied as she rubbed her temples.

...

"I hope we're not imposing ourselves," Bloom said as the girls and boys entered the owl.

"Not at all. It's gonna be super fun," Riven sarcastically replied as he turned towards her. "I mean, we're just going to fly into some of the most inhospitable mountains of Magix in the middle of an untamed wilderness filled with wild animals. It's basically a picnic".

"You know you would miss us if we stayed behind," Musa teased him, resting her chin on the slightly smaller boy's head.

"Yeah, well, don't come running to me to complain if this doesn't end well," the magenta-haired soldier replied.

"So, how much of a journey are we looking at?" Techna asked.

"Based on the coordinates Wizgiz gave us, I'd say we got at least three, maybe four hours of travel," Timmy replied as he checked the map. "Depending on weather, of course".

"So, what about Mirta?" Bloom asked as Flora entered the owl.

"She felt that she had had enough excitement for today. She did wish me the best of luck though and I was to say hi to the rest of you," the brunette replied.

"Well, sounds like we're ready to go then. I just need to get Cordatorta on the line so that we find out if top brass is okay with this," Brandon said as he turned on the radio. "Brandon Hauser of Team B-five here". He paused for a bit as he listened to something in his earpiece. "Ah, yes, I suppose those journalists were rather quick to publish. We'll give a full report once we're back. But before that, somebody transformed Princess Stella Guildenstern. The transformation is so powerful that it even had Professor Wizgiz stumped. He has advised the use of an artefact site called the Mirror of Truth, but the princess will need an escort. Are we allowed to do so or should we bring her to Red Fountain to transfer her to a different group?" He paused. "Very well. We'll escort her to the site. Current estimates say that we'll be back within the next twenty-four hours. Also, her friends are coming along. Yes, those girls". He paused for a moment. "I'm pretty sure they would object to that. With spells. Yes, I do believe they would fall under the term veteran civilians after everything they've been through. Yes sir, I'll tell them that". He turned in his chair and said: "Alright, you are allowed to come with us, as long as you respect the fact that each and every one of us from Red Fountain have more authority than you".

"But in practice, it's going to be how we always work together, right?" Techna asked.

"Pretty much," the brunette squire replied as he returned his attention to the controls.

...

Hours later, Timmy looked up from his map and said: "Alright, the Barrier Peaks are dead ahead. We should be able to see them now".

Everyone took a moment to look out the front windows of the vessel. Ahead lay a massive range of snowcapped mountains, above which hung a large bank of rather ominous looking clouds.

"Timmy. Do we have a weather report of the area?" Sky asked.

"Negative. They don't report on weather this far from civilized areas unless it's big enough to affect nearby countries," Timmy replied.

"Alrighty then. Riven. Any useful data?" Sky asked.

"Hang on, let me check," the magenta-haired soldier said as he pushed a button on his console. "Odds are, those clouds contain a lot of snow. Temperature in the area is sub-zero".

"Right. We're going in," Brandon determined.

As they flew, Techna turned to Stella, who still tried to hide herself with her cloak, and asked: "So, how do you feel?"

"Techna, I'm a giant frog. I'm so much a giant frog that Alfea's resident expert on transformation couldn't make me stop being a giant frog," the blonde replied annoyed.

"So you're not feeling better about the whole giant frog thing. Gotcha," Techna said and returned her attention to the mountains.

The transformed princess opened her mouth to respond, but sighed and gave up.

As the ship flew into the mountain range, rain began pelting it.

"Didn't you say it was going to snow?" Bloom asked Riven.

"I said that it was most likely snow," he responded. "Scanner registered it as being very cold. Doesn't mean it's guaranteed. I mean, pretty hard for the sensor to pick up every single detail from a distance, you know".

Sky continued to pilot the ship, occasionally grunting as he swerved around the great mountains. The rain had become too much for the wipers to handle, so he had switched his attention to a simulator screen that used collected data to give him an accurate view of the surrounding area.

"You okay?" Brandon asked.

"Yes, it's just... I'm getting some resistance. Wind possibly," the blond pilot said, as he struggled to turn the wheel.

"The wind isn't nearly powerful enough to affect the owl," Riven commened.

"Guys. We're gaining weight," Timmy added. The vessel suddenly shook. "And propulsion engine five has just shut down".

Brandon jumped up on his chair and scouted the front end of the vessel, trying to see through the rain. Ice had formed on the vessel in thick layers. "Dammit, it's an ice storm!" he exclaimed. "Sky, get us out of here before it causes us to crash!"

The vessel shook again.

"Propulsion engines three and one down," Timmy reported. "We won't be able to move for much longer".

"We need to get the ice off. Any suggestions?" Brandon asked as he turned to the others.

"Could I melt it?" Bloom asked.

"Negative. The door is frozen shut and if you warm the inside enough to melt the ice on the outside, well, that would do more harm than good," Timmy replied. "Our best hope right now is pulling off a powerdive".

"With only three propulsion engines left online? Good fucking luck," Riven commented. "With the remaining ones being almost frosted over, we risk them short-circuiting from the strain".

"We could pull it off if we can get up high enough before that happens," Sky said. "We just need to get above the ice storm and aim outside the clouds so we don't immediately get covered in ice again".

"Alright. Sky, do it," Brandon ordered.

"What exactly is a powerdive?" Bloom asked nervously as the vessel sharply ascended.

"It's when you intentionally dive hard enough to cause high levels of friction," Timmy responded. "The idea being that the friction will melt the ice enough that the downed propulsion engines can start again".

"And if they don't?" Stella asked.

"Well, then let's hope Sky can fight off gravity with less than six thrusters," Techna added. "Or else learn how to enjoy our newly acquired close contact with the earth".  
"NOT HELPING!" both Bloom and Stella responded.

The owl climbed higher and higher, the ice growing thicker and thicker, before it flew through the thin layer of hot air and into the colder air above.

The ship was now being pelted with snowflakes, as Timmy reported: "Alright, we're not gaining any significant amount of weight, but we are straining the remaining propulsion engines. They have a hard time functioning".  
"Everyone, check your seatbelts," Brandon ordered as the vessel flew through the clouds.

Several lights began blinking with alarming sounds.

"The remaining thrusters are in danger of shutting down from the ice," Timmy reported. "We need to free them now".

"Alright, here we go," Sky said as he pushed forward.

Everyone in the ship felt the uncomfortable feeling of gravity in their stomachs as the ship dove, aiming for the edge of the cloud bank.

As the owl rapidly approached the ground, the front of it seemingly ignited and ice was peeled off.

"It's working!" Sky loudly stated, feeling the strain of gravity.

"Shouldn't we pull up?" Stella asked fearfully.  
"Wait for it," the blonde replied, as massive flakes of ice began flying off.

"Less than thirty seconds to impact," Timmy warned.  
"Wait for it," the blond pilot insisted, even as the mountain came closer and closer. The heat from the friction was visible as the orange glow spread across the ship.

"I can't look," Bloom said as she covered her eyes.

"Well, nice knowing you all," Riven joked, though it was obvious from his facial expression that he was quite nervous.

Brandon bit his lips as the mountain came closer and closer.

"ALL ENGINES, ONLINE!" Timmy yelled.

Sky immediately pulled at the controls and the ship strained to free itself from the dive, missing the rocky ground by a couple of meters.

As everyone slowly realised they were alive and outside the ice storm, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good job, Sky," Brandon said relieved as he patted the prince on the shoulder. "Good job".

"Well, that was quite the intense experience," Flora said as she tried to get her ragged breathing under control.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Techna yelled, overdosing on her own adrenaline. "WE SHOULD DO THAT AGAIN!"

"The only thing we should do is fly back up," Musa, who was looking a bit sick, commented. "I think I left my stomach behind when we dove".

"Can I look now?" Bloom asked, face still buried in her hands.

"Yes, Bloom, it's over," Stella said.

"Alright, systems are coming online again," Riven replied. "Wait, what is...?"

The entire vessel shook as something heavy smashed into it.

"WHAT NOW!?" Brandon yelled as he peered out the window. Clinging to the hull of the ship was a massive beast, its body combining the features of an eagle and a lion, which starred at him with predatory intent.

"Oh. It's a griffin," he flatly commented. "Dammit".


	4. The Mirror of Truth

Chapter 4: The Mirror of Truth

The whole ship shook again as the massive beast tried to tear it apart.

"GET OFF!" Sky yelled as he struggled with the controls, attempting to throw the massive beast off. "WE'RE A GIANT BALL OF METAL HURTLING THROUGH THE AIR! WHAT PART OF THAT SAYS LUNCH TO YOU!?"

"Maybe it thinks we're a lunchbox," Techna suggested, as the ship shook again.

"Riven, is there any way to shoot it?" Brandon asked.

"Well, I could launch a missile and aim it at ourselves, but I'm pretty sure that will end badly," the magenta-haired soldier answered. "If you want me to shoot it down, you'll have to get it off the owl first".

"Trying, but this thing is stubborn," Sky said through gritted teeth, as the griffin continued its attempt to pry the vessel open. The owl wavered through the air as the crew desperately tried to avoid crashing into the mountainsides.

"The griffin has damaged some of the inner systems, but nothing vital as of yet," Timmy reported. "The propulsion engines are being recalibrated to take the extra weight into account".

"Can you guys handle more bad news?" Riven asked as he studied the radar.

"What now?" Brandon groaned.

"Three more griffins are approaching us," the magenta-haired soldier informed him. "Man, fuck these birds, am I right?"

The ship shook again and Bloom said: "You know, I kinda imagined the worst part about this trip would be the cold".

"It's never that simple when we go anywhere these days," Musa remarked dryly.

"ALRIGHT, HOLD ON!" Sky yelled. "I'M GOING TO TRY SOMETHING CRAZY!"

Brandon immediately jumped into his seat and fastened the seatbelt.

The blond pilot flew up a bit and jerked the steering wheel. The owl began spinning and the centrifugal force ripped the griffin off, leaving a long rift in the side of the vessel.

The fierce animal shook its head as it recuperated, before it emitted a shrill roar as its three pack mates joined up with it.

"Alright, birdy, let's see how you handle this," Riven said as he pushed the trigger. The main gun blazed as it fired at the approaching predators. The griffins scattered to avoid the projectiles, but the griffin that had attacked the ship first was still somewhat dizzy from being hurled off and couldn't evade properly. Bullets tore through hide and muscles, ripping it apart and sending it crashing into the rocky cliffs below.

"It seems such a shame to kill them," Bloom muttered as she heard the griffin's cry being silenced.

"Perhaps, but they give us little choice in the matter," Flora noted. "Do not worry. Griffins are not endangered and the local scavengers will be nourished by their demise".

"I guess that is one way to look at it," the redhead admitted.

"They're attacking again," Brandon noted as the griffins attempted to surround the vessel.

"Crafty ones," Riven mumbled as he pulled the trigger again. "They're good flyers, I'll have to give them that much". Bullets tore through the sky as the enraged predators charged through the air.

"I... I think... I'm going... To be sick..." Musa said weakly as she held her stomach.

"Don't worry. I think I saw some paper bags in the cabinet," Stella said as she unfastened herself and hurried towards said nearby cabinet.

"Stella, that is not a good idea!" Brandon warned her.

One of the griffins dive-bombed the rear of the ship, denting the back end with its massive bulk.

"Dragon's Flame, not again," Sky hissed as he fought to shake the great predator off. He steered the owl around a mountainside, sharply turning in order to fling the griffin off. The force of the turn hurled Stella screaming through the ship. With the sound of tearing metal, the griffin was flung of, still clutching the back hatch of the ship. It crashed into the snowy mountainside and lay still, either dead or knocked out from the impact.

Stella clung to the doorframe that separated the cockpit from the hold, cold air blasting her as she tried to crawl in again.  
"HOLD ON!" Brandon yelled as he unfastened his own seatbelt.

As he hurried to assist the Solarian princess, another griffin rammed down into the top of the ship. Cracks formed in the front glass as the griffon's weight dented the owl's hull. The force of the impact knocked Stella's grip loose and she tumbled screaming out of the ship.

Brandon, who had tried to get to her, was first knocked into the ceiling and then smashed into the ship's floor. Several of his teeth fragmented from the impact, four of his ribs were bent out of shape and his jawbone was cracked from the collision.  
"DAMMIT!" Sky yelled. "TIMMY, SECURE BRANDON BEFORE HE ALSO FALLS OUT! RIVEN, PUMP THOSE BIRDS FULL OF LEAD!"

As the bespectacled soldier rushed to secure the team captain, the griffin above tore into the ship and the front glass became even more cracked as the metal hull was warped out of shape by the predator's assault.  
"WHAT ABOUT STELLA!?" Musa yelled.

"WE CAN'T DO SHIT ABOUT THAT UNTIL THESE BIRDS ARE DONE FOR!" Riven yelled back.

"BRANDON HAS BEEN SECURED!" Timmy loudly reported as he jumped back into his chair.

"RIVEN, GET READY TO SHOOT THE SECOND GRIFFIN!" Sky ordered, before gripping the controls tightly. He turned the ship on the side and flew into the mountainside. The griffin on top of the vessel was caught between the rocks and the hard hull of the ship. It shrieked pitifully as it was torn apart, its wings, skin and bone ground away by the mountain surface. At the same time, Riven aimed the main gun at the other griffin and fired, the bullets piercing its beaked head and ripping it to shreds. Sky jerked the owl away from the mountainside, a mixture of liquefied griffin and melted snow slowly running across the broken glass.

The grotesque sight caused Musa to lose the fight with her stomach and she promptly puked on the ship's floor.

"Okay... That was not awesome. Let's try to not do this again," Techna said as she eyed the gruesome scene with a queasy expression.

"I say we turn back and find Stella as quickly as possible," Flora stated.

"You got it," Sky said quietly as he turned the ship.

...

Fortunately for the transformed blonde, the ship had been rather close to the mountain when she had fallen out. Sure, the fall had still caused her numerous cuts and bruises, not to mention her arm had broken, but she was still alive, if rather cold. After the fall, she had just laid still in the pile of snow that she had tumbled into, the frozen substance soothing her pain while she worked on making her head stop spinning. She slowly forced herself out of the pile, cradling her now useless arm. Her clothes had been torn by the experience and her amphibian skin did little to protect her from the freezing temperatures of the mountain. She found herself unsure of what to do. Surely, the others would come for her. Well, once they were done with the griffins. The Solarian princess really hoped they could handle it.

In the distance, she could hear gunfire and the cry of a griffin was suddenly cut short.

She was very certain that her friends could handle it. She forced herself through the snow, hoping to find some reasonably high spot to stand on before she got frostbite. Hopefully, that would make it easier for her friends to relocate her.

She was shaken out of her thoughts by a growling sound. Slowly, the transformed blonde turned towards the noise.

A griffin was staring at her.

Its wings were broken and bent out of shape from being hurled off the ship and blood trickled from the wounds it had sustained from impacting against the mountainside. But it was not out of commission and its muscles tensed as it eyed a potential meal in Stella.

"Now... Now..." Stella nervously croaked as she backed away. "Let us... Not do something I'm going to regret. I'm sure that... That if you'll behave and... And be a... Be a good griffin, then... Then I could..."

The griffin roared and charged. Stella turned and bolted down the snow-covered mountainside, screaming in panic.

As she tried to put distance between herself and the enraged predator, she tripped over a rock hidden by the snow and began tumbling down the mountainside. She could feel her bones buckle from the impacts and the pain in her arm flared up as she landed on it multiple times. The wind was knocked out of her as she landed on her stomach and began sliding backwards down. She clawed into the earth with her one functional arm, desperately trying to stop her uncontrolled descent. She looked over her shoulder and saw that she was getting closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. In front of her, the griffin, whose clawed feet made it a lot more sure-footed, continued to pursue the princess. Screaming in panic, Stella dug her fingers into the soil, her delicate skin torn by the hard ground. Just as she slid over the edge, she managed to grab a rock and now dangled halfway over the edge. Her eyes widened as the griffin continued its charge.  
And then several bullets whizzed through the air, penetrating the griffin's hindquarters and shattered its bones and organs. The animal stumbled and a combination of speed and harm robbed it of all control. It bounced by Stella, snapping at her with its beak as it passed, and fell shrieking down the cliff. It impacted against the rocks at the bottom head first, its skull shattering and its spine splintering as it folded like a harmonica. It was dead seconds after impact.

Stella stared at the broken corpse of the predator, before looking up to see the owl floating closer. It turned in the air and in the broken hole that used to be the hatch stood Riven and Flora ready to assist her.

"Are you okay?" Flora asked as the ship got as close as possible.

"Okay? OKAY!?" Stella yelled. "I WAS ALMOST A GRIFFIN'S LUNCH, I'VE ALMOST FALLEN OF A MOUNTAIN AND I'M STILL A GIANT FROG! GET ME INSIDE THAT SHIP NOW!"

"Well, nice to see that the experience has done nothing to dampen her spirit," Riven dryly commented.

...

Stella winced as Riven and Flora put her arm in a sling, her torn clothes replaced with something that would actually keep her warm. "Is there really, like, no one here who can do healing magic?" she asked the others pleadingly.

"Sorry. I'm still going through the theoretical parts of it," Bloom said apologetically. "If I try to fix you, I will most likely do more harm than good".

"And I'm still too weak to extend my magic to others. So no healing from me either," Riven said with a shrug.

"Oh," Stella said sadly. She turned her head and looked at Brandon, who was lying on a cot attached to the wall. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I think so. His ribs didn't rip anything apart and the jaw thing can be fixed once we get home," Sky said. "He just won't be able to speak for a while".

Brandon gave them all a reassuring thumbs up.

"Alright, we're approaching the coordinates," Timmy reported as he returned to his station. "We'll arrive in about three minutes".

The owl rounded the mountain the artefact site was supposed to be located in and landed on a wide, snow-covered plateau in front of an enormous cave opening. The group left the damaged vehicle through the open back end, with Sky supporting Brandon. As they approached the cave, Musa threw a look back at the ship and shivered at the sight of the lumpy, brown mass that still clung to its dented roof.

The cave was dark and cold, with great stalactites of ice hanging from the roof.

"Be very quiet," Flora whispered. "Too much noise and we risk having those things drop on us".

"Indeed. Let us try to avoid any more bodily harm," Riven agreed.  
As the group walked deeper into the dark caves, their way lit up with flashlights, the snow on the floor thinned out, as did the ice above, leaving only rough, rocky floors and walls.

"So, any idea what this mirror thingy looks like?" Techna asked as she looked around.

"The description in the book was of a frozen lake," Timmy replied. "So keep an eye on the floor".

Stella looked around, hoping to find the site as quickly as possible and saw something weird down a little side-tunnel. For just a brief second, she could have sworn she saw her own reflection. That is, a reflection of how she looked before her transformation. Curious, she stepped into the tunnel, trying to see where it led. "Hey, I think I..." Stella said as she turned around to tell the others. "Found... Something..."

Instead of the opening into the main cave, there was now only a smooth surface of ice.

"What the... That wasn't here before," Stella muttered as she touched the cold surface and tried to push it away. The intense cold of the frozen object convinced her that it wasn't merely an illusion.

"HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME!" she yelled at the icy surface, hoping her friends would respond. She pressed her head against it, trying to hear if there was any sound from the other side . But none came.

The transformed princess sighed sadly, as she pulled her head away from the frozen wall and trudged down the corridor, hoping to find some sort of exit. As she walked, she noticed what seemed like light at the end of the tunnel. She hurried on, hoping that maybe it was a way out. Even if it would be quite cold, she could hopefully walk around the outside of the mountain and meet up with the others again.

But at the end of the hallway lay not an exit, but a room. The light came from a frozen lake in the centre of the floor.

"Could... Could that be it?" Stella asked herself, her voice echoing through the frozen chamber. She hurried to the surface and knelt before it. Though shimmering with light, she could see her reflection quite clearly in its crystalline surface. She remained there, on all fours, staring intensely at the frozen pool of water. "Alright. What now?" she asked as she sat down. "I think I've found it, but how do I get it to work?" She considered it for a moment, before she knocked on the smooth surface, calling: "Hello! Anybody there?! I'd like to, like, become normal again, if it isn't too much to ask for!"

The shimmering ice gave no response.  
"COME ON!" Stella yelled in frustration. "HAVEN'T I BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH ALREADY!? WASN'T FLEEING FROM MY OWN HOME ENOUGH!? WASN'T MY DAD TRYING TO ARREST ME ENOUGH!? THE SPIDERS, THE WATER, THE COLD, THE GRIFFINS! WHAT MORE COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT FROM ME?!"

The only thing that answered her was her own echo.

"FINE!" she yelled at the lake as she jumped up, fists clenched in frustrated anger. "THEN DON'T TRANSFORM ME BACK! SEE IF I CARE! WIZGIZ WILL CHANGE ME BACK IN A FEW MONTHS! YOU'LL SEE!"

If the lake that Stella assumed was the Mirror of Truth had an opinion on the subject, it elected not to share it with her.

Stella just stood there, breathing heavily as she slowly began calming down again. "He'll... He'll transform me back. He will," she said, though she was starting to sound less certain. "I mean, this is not forever right? There's no such thing as an eternal curse". She looked around, as if hoping someone would agree with her. "Right?"

There was no comfort to find in the cold, unchanging walls of the cave.

"Okay... There's Domino," the transformed princess slowly admitted. "But that's just... You know, there's always exceptions". She forced herself to nervously swallow. "But-but I'm not the exception, right?" she asked. "I mean... Who am I even talking to?" She sighed and dumped down on the cold, stone floor. "I... I can't be stuck like this," she said quietly and sadly. "Not as a... As a big, dumb, non-magical frog-person thing. Who would even hang out with something like me? I'm even more useless than I was before. I can't even do any magic in this form and I certainly don't look good anymore. Maybe to an ogre, but even that would be pushing it".

She didn't know how long she sat there in silence, staring at the shimmering lights of the lake.

Then she crawled to the edge of the frozen lake and stared into it. "Please," she begged. "I don't know what you want, but name it. My Dad has already more or less banished me. I don't need to lose my friends too. I don't want to lose them. Or Brandon. So please, just tell me what you want. I mean... I mean, I'm, like, a princess, right? Name your price. Anything. Just... Just don't leave me like this". She felt an intense desire to cry, but her new body was not equipped to do so. "Stupid frog body," she mumbled.

As she continued to stare into the shimmering depths, she thought she saw something. Something in the hues that shimmered around her image. For just the briefest of moments, it looked like blurry images of her friends and boyfriend surrounded her.

"Are you trying to tell me something?" she asked the mirror annoyed. "That people will keep hanging out with me while I'm looking like this. Why? I've lost all my good qualities. I'm no longer royal, pretty or magical. Who would..." She paused for a moment. "Well... I guess I would," she admitted. "I did, with those kids back in Solaria. When I snuck out. But they had other good qualities that I liked". She paused as her initial fear and panic started to fade. "Maybe I do too," she speculated. "But what are they? I'm so used to hearing about how pretty I am and how powerful my magic and family is. What other good qualities do I have?"

The shimmering surface was unresponsive.

"I mean, Bloom said that I was a loyal friend and Techna said I was funny, but still..." she paused. "Okay, so those are good qualities. And Musa did say that I was generous, so... Well..." She paused, furrowing the closest thing she had to brows. "And Flora told me that I was passionate and that she admired that. And Brandon said he liked how I was willing to admit my mistakes". She stared into the surface and sighed: "I guess I am a bit of an idiot though. Thinking my friends and loved ones will abandon me. I guess... I guess after what happened with my father, I got scared. But maybe I shouldn't be. You know what? I don't need you to change me back. And if Wizgiz can't change me back, then I guess that's okay. I'll have to leave Alfea, can't be a fairy without magic, but I'll still be me. I'll still have my friends and my good qualities. Would still like to look like me again, but I guess... I guess those things don't define me". She sighed and stared into the surface again. She chuckled humourlessly as the mirror now reflected how she had looked before the transformation. "Very funny. Yes, I know how I looked. But that's not important. What's important is that my friends and loved ones like me for who I am, not for what I look like. And that's what, like, matters". She felt tears trickle down her cheeks. Her eyes widened. Slowly, she raised a hand, wiped one of the tears off and held it in front of her. The clear fluid hung suspended from the smooth and silky skin of her finger. As she shifted, she could feel her body being dragged down by the clothes that were now way too large for her.

"STELLA!" she could hear Sky call, and she turned to see the others hurry into the frozen chamber, Brandon ready with his sword in one arm and his prince supporting the other. There was a pause as the group eyed Stella and realisation set in.

"I'm... I'm me again," the now once again human Stella said with tears of joy flowing freely from her eyes.

Brandon gave her as happy a smile his broken face would allow.

...

The trip home was filled with cheer and happiness, even if it was done in an almost broken ship that was constantly vented due to the gaping hole in its cargo hold, though it did at least help mask the scent of dead griffin. Due to how late it had become, they ended up landing in a clearing and staying there overnight, before arriving back at Alfea shortly before noon.

"I'm back. And I'm tots normal again," Stella declared as she marched out of the owl, followed by the others.

Faragonda had arrived to greet them, alongside Griselda and Wizgiz. But though the headmistress would normally be overjoyed by Stella's return to human form, her eyes were drawn to the mangled ship, her mouth nothing but a thin line as she stared at it. Finally, she found her voice and asked: "While I am glad you were successful in your endeavour, would you kindly tell me what happened to the ship?"

"Eh, the usual. Some bad weather, some bad animals and a couple of near death experiences," Riven replied.

"Sad thing is, that is actually becoming the usual," Musa commented.

"Deep breaths," Wizgiz advised Faragonda. "They're back, nobody's dead and everyone should be happy".

"I'm going to have to ask SeFogelia to make me some tea," Faragonda finally sighed. "Very well, congratulations are in order. Can I assume you girls will be staying here for the next couple of days until the new school year starts?"

"I think that would be a good idea. Otherwise, at least one of us would get kidnapped before we even manage to get off-world," Techna joked.

"Two years ago, that joke would probably have struck me as hilarious," Bloom commented. "These days, it's more gallows humour than anything else".

...

Less than a week later, a new school year started. Which meant that the hallways were once again suddenly filled with new students who had to be shown the ropes and constantly managed to get lost on their way to the cafeteria. As was quite usual, the new student body was a very mixed group, with people coming in from all corners of the multiverse and all layers of society. Girls and boys of various sapient species mingled as they began interacting with each other.

Stella was making her way through the throng of students, occasionally stopping to give some directions or advice, when she suddenly heard: "Stella? Stella, is that you?"

"Huh?" the blonde emitted as she turned to face the person that had addressed her. Her face lit up in a smile as she joyfully exclaimed: "Nova! How's it going?"

Nova, a friend Stella had first met when she started sneaking out to party, smiled as she recognised her friend. The female elf adjusted a lock of her very light-orange hair as she said: "Well, I got accepted into Alfea, so I'd say things are going well". She cleared her throat and said: "By the way, sorry I couldn't go to your Princess Ball. Family, you know".

"Yeah, I tots know," Stella sighed. "But trust me, like, you were better off not going. I'm almost regretting showing up and it was my Princess Ball".

"Wait, you were there?" Nova asked surprised.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Stella asked, also surprised.

"When was the last time you heard something new from Solaria?" Nova asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ugh, I've been meaning to call my father, but I'm unsure what to say about what happened at the ball," the Solarian blonde replied annoyed. "Why?"

"You better check this out then," her friend said and pulled a Solarian newspaper out of her bag. "Here, it's the front page story".

"Alright, let's see," Stella said as she scanned the page. A picture of her father, who was accompanied by a very tired looking Cassandra and a very joyous Chimera, graced the front page, causing the princess to snort derisively. Then she read aloud: "The internal investigation of the event that transpired at Princess Stella Guildenstern's Princess Ball has finally come to a close and the royal house of Solaria has made an official statement. According to the investigation, a shape-changing infiltrator of unknown species and nationality had misled the princess into thinking the date of the ball had had to be moved and then took her place at the Princess Ball. The powerful surge of magic that was registered was caused by a royal magi, who had managed to see through the ruse, who used a powerful metamagical spell to undo the spell that cloaked the impostor and fooled the king into thinking it was his daughter. Several other agents, disguised as the princess' friends, aided in the impostors getaway. The Solarian police and military are now looking for clues of their whereabouts". Stella took a deep breath and continued reading with ire in her voice. "Countess Cassandra Pollon has expressed her deepest sympathy for the princess, who was very shocked to hear of these events. She has even revealed that the shock of the events have been so hard on the royal heir that they seriously considered sending her into therapy at Sunny Soul on the planet Harmony, though nothing is set in stone yet". It took all of Stella's willpower to just hand the newspaper back and not burn it to ash. "What a nice way to say, 'Stay away or we'll have you committed'," she grumbled. "What is going on back home?"

"You seem to disagree with the official story," Nova noted.  
"Yes. Because as I said, I was tots there. I was transformed in the middle of the ball and, like, I'm pretty sure somebody hijacked my father's brain," Stella replied. "I had to go through so much trouble to go back to my old self. None of this makes sense".

"So... Who did it then?" the orange-haired girl asked.

Stella eyed the smug grin of Chimera on the front of the newspaper. "I have my suspicions," she commented. She looked through the crowd of arriving students and noticed a familiar face. "Anyway, let's meet up again later, Nova. I totally look forward to catching up on what's been happening," Stella said as she left.

"Likewise," her friend replied.

Stella made her way through the crowd and called: "Hey, Aisha! Aisha!"

"Huh. What?" the brunette asked as she was ripped out of her thoughts. "Oh, it's you Stella".

"Hey, I haven't seen or heard from you since we met up with Bloom back on Harmony," Stella said as she walked up to the princess of Tides. "How have things been going?"

"Well, not good. Not good at all," Aisha admitted. "But first I'd like to apologise for not attending your Princess Ball and for not properly cancelling my participation".

"Trust me, it wouldn't have been, like, worth the trip," Stella remarked. "But what's been happening? You look tots drained".

"Well, I am rather tired. I was lucky I was even able to attend this year," the brunette replied. "Have you heard what's been happening on Andros lately?"

"I'm starting to feel like I'm falling behind on the news," the blonde commented. "But to answer your question, no. Recent events have caused me to fall, like, a bit out of the loop".

"Look, I gotta go get my things to my room, but..." Aisha began. "I'd like to talk with you and the others. Later, that is. I think that would be good".

...

"Everyone, please quiet down," Faragonda said, motioning with her hands. The chatter that had filled the hall with noise slowly died down. "Now, I'd like to welcome all of you to the Alfea Institute of Fairy Magic. I hope all of you will have many a pleasant year to come. To ensure this, there's a couple of rules..."

"Yep. Same thing as last year," Musa quietly whispered to Bloom as the headmistress gave her usual speech.

"I hear Saladin tots does this a lot too," Stella quietly commented. "You know, like, uses the same speech over and over".

"Well, it's not a bad speech," Bloom argued. "I mean, don't fix what isn't broken".

"I would agree, except I have to hear her say the same speech every year until I graduate," Musa pointed out.  
"According to Flora, Griffin always opens up with a bit of a comedy routine. And she changes it every year," Stella said. "It has done wonders to make sure returning students attend".

"I can imagine," the black-haired musician stated.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk with us about?" Bloom asked. "Besides you criticism of Faragonda's speech".  
"First off, I ran into an old friend of mine from Solaria," the blonde princess explained. "And she told me that my father has declared that an impostor showed up to my Princess Ball and that I've been at Alfea all this time".

"Strange. I assume he never asked you what happened," Musa said.

"No he didn't," Stella replied. "And there was also a very subtle hint in that statement that they would, like, throw me in a straitjacket if I come home".

"Well, that's rather extreme," Bloom commented with a raised eyebrow.

"I also ran into Aisha," the blonde princess continued. "Apparently, there's been loads of trouble on her homeworld as well. Didn't feel like sharing at the moment, but she said that she wanted to talk with us later".

"Spirits above and below, what's been going on lately?" Musa muttered. "Who flipped the let's go crazy switch?"

"...concludes the introductions. I am sure you will get better acquainted in the coming year. Dismissed," the headmistress finished, and the flock of students immediately dissolved into a noisy mass of chatting teens.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Bloom admitted as they left the room. "Isn't this how it usually starts? With weird events that seem strange and inexplicable?"

"Let's not get paranoid," Musa advised. "These may just be small and unrelated incidents".

"I guess we'll find out once we gather the others," Stella said.

...

"So, you wanted to talk with us," Bloom said, after she and the rest of her clustermates had gathered in the common room.

"Yes," Aisha, who was sitting in one of the big chairs, replied. "I think... I think you all deserve to know what happened. Tides and many other countries more or less shut down as we went into a state of emergency. My parents were seriously considering holding me back a year just so that I could remain safe at the castle".

"Okay. So what could warrant such a reaction?" Musa asked.

"For many days, I didn't know. It was kept between my father and the highest ranking people of the country," the brunette explained. "But a couple of days ago, they could confirm the situation. A prisoner had escaped Omega".

Techna whistled and said: "Must have taken some serious skills. One does not simply walk out of Omega. How did he or she do it?"

"We're still not sure about that part," Aisha admitted. "But given where he appeared, it would seem he managed to force the gateway between Andros and Omega open. Which would mean he's a very skilled magi".

"So who is this criminal and why does his escape warrant such measures?" Flora asked. "I assume that it is not just a question of recapturing him?"

"Indeed. I did get a name though and when I looked up info on him, I understood why," Aisha replied gravely. "That prisoner is none other than Valtor".

Stella, Flora and Musa exchanged shocked glances.

"Should that name mean anything to me?" Bloom asked.

"Beats me. Does the guy have a last name?" Techna asked.

"Valtor is one of the most notorious criminals of the last couple of decades, forever sentenced to Omega," Flora explained. "A powerful magi who allied himself with the Ancestral Witches".

"Pshaw, lots of people did that," Techna said dismissively. "Come on, what did he do that was bad enough for people to decide that eternity was the best sentence?"

The other girls exchanged glances, then looked at Bloom.

The redhead lifted an eyebrow and asked: "Should I feel nervous now?"

"The thing is..." Musa began. "Valtor was a noble of Domino. Until he... Well, until he betrayed the country".

"He, like, sold out your kingdom and it's his fault that it's tots a barren freezer now," Stella added. "Some even say that he, like, helped design the curse that keeps Domino like this".

"Okay... That's bad," Bloom agreed. "And he's loose?"

"More than just loose," Aisha said while shaking her head. "He's been using his powers to brainwash several merfolk into serving him. They now follow his every command. By now he has gained a small army. Even worse, he responded to the latest attempt at recapturing him by kidnapping the queen of Jezero. He let some of his controlled minions go to warn us that if we attempted to stop him, we would suffer the consequences".

"Stop him from what, exactly?" Flora asked.

"Nobody's sure yet," the princess of Tides admitted. "So far, he has made no demands but to be left alone".

"Well, what did the guy want when he joined up with the big bad AW?" Techna asked.

"Nobody knows. He revealed nothing in court. He just warned people that he would eventually get out," Musa said. "Seems like he was right".

"That's it? No artefacts, no world domination?" Techna asked. "He just wants to be left alone? Kind of a step down from what we've been seeing these last couple of years".  
"Please don't remind me," Bloom requested.

"Well, he wants to be left alone for now at least," Flora stated. "But unless all he truly wants is to be away from Omega, it is likely that he intends to do something. And his previous actions could easily lead one to suspect that what he intends to do will not be legal. It is, of course, hard to say with so little known of the man's motives".

"Well, I suppose as long as Alfea doesn't have anything he wants, we should be safe," Stella said.

"Yeah. I'd prefer... Not to... Get..." Bloom said, suddenly feeling dizzy.

"Hey, are you okay, Firetop?" Techna asked, her voice sounding distorted and far away to the redhead.

"Yeah, I... Just need... To sit for..." the redhead groggily mumbled as she dumped down into the sofa.

Everything became dark for a second.

Then a bright light exploded before the Dominian princess.

Bloom raised a hand to protect herself, before she realised whom the shiny figure in front of her was. "Daphne? Is that you?"

"Yes, Bloom," came the melodious sound of her undead older sister. "I have an important request to make of you, Bloom. I need you and your friends to go to Lake Roccaluce as quickly as possible. I will meet you there".

And then Bloom awoke again.

"She is waking up," Flora, who had apparently been measuring her pulse, stated. "Bloom, have you been getting enough sleep and water lately?"

"Yes, I was... I was just contacted by Daphne," Bloom said as she righted herself. "She wants to see me. Right now. At Lake Roccaluce".

"Strange. I mean, couldn't she just have said whatever she wanted to say while she was hijacking your brainwaves?" Techna asked.  
"Apparently not," the redhead sighed as she got up. "And she wants me to bring all of you too. I'll be taking the next bus, so if you want to come along, you better get your shoes on".

...

It was but a couple of hours later that the girls reached the great Lake Roccaluce. The sun was slowly setting and the sky was becoming a fiery orange.

The fairies exchanged glances. Bloom took a deep breath and stepped out into the waters. "DAPHNE!" she called. "I'M HERE!"

A shimmering light manifested beneath the surface of the lake and seconds later, Daphne's shiny ghost rose above the waters. "Bloom," she started. "My apologies for the abrupt interruption. But I had to reach you as soon as possible".

"It's okay. Though it was rather sudden," the redhead replied. "It's been a while".

"Indeed. Sadly, my many attempts to communicate with you in your first year left me quite drained," Daphne replied. "I haven't spent as much time with you as I should have, but such matters are out of my hands". Her expression became one of sadness as she said: "Bloom. I have a very important thing to ask of you. And I am afraid it is not going to be without risk or danger".

"Okay," Bloom said slowly. "What is it?"

Daphne led her gaze wander from Bloom to each of her friends. "What I ask of you, I do not ask lightly," she continued. "And I will accept if you choose to refuse. I will understand". She looked Bloom dead in the eye. "I need you to assist me in stopping Valtor".

"What?" the redhead asked flatly.

"By Valtor, you do mean that recently escaped traitor who've managed to help deep freeze an entire kingdom and escaped a prison planet, right?" Musa asked. "Because I hope you realise that stopping him will be a rather tall order".

"Indeed. At this point, all nearby realms have invested large amounts of resources in containing and recapturing him. What do we have to offer in comparison?" Flora asked.

"There's... A lot I can't tell you. Not yet," Daphne said with a crestfallen expression. "It's still too fresh for me. And there are other reasons and circumstances that I must keep in mind. But I would not expect you to go if I did not believe you could stop him. Because he must be stopped. And what you have that all the other realms don't have is Bloom".

"Me?" Bloom asked surprised. "Okay, no, what? Why am I so special?"

"You can bring him this," Daphne said and lifted her hand. The water bubbled and a shiny, golden butterfly mask broke through the surface and floated over to Bloom. "This is my very own mask," the ghostly nymph explained. "It was placed in the lake after my death in honour of my memory. Like the lake and our castle in Domino, it has a deep connection to me. Bring this mask to Valtor and I will be able to manifest through it".

"So we're going to be the delivery service. And, like, nothing more?" Stella asked.

"If everything goes well, all that will be needed to stop him will be to bring him this," Daphne confirmed. "If you refuse, I will try to find another way. But I have precious few to turn to who has your qualities, Bloom".

"I... I accept," Bloom sighed while running her fingers through her hair. "It's not going to be easy. Faragonda will have me locked up if I suggest going off on a mission like that".

"Many thanks. In that case, I will leave the rest to you. Best of luck, little sister," Daphne said as she sunk beneath the waters again.

Bloom waded back to the lakeside and looked at the others.

"I would just like to start off by saying that this is crazy," Flora commented. "And I am not comfortable doing something like this while your sister is being so vague. There are a lot of details she left out that I think we should know".

"Yeah. I realise that," the redhead sighed.

"Well, you went with me to the Mirror, so I guess it would only be fair if I helped you out with this," Stella said.

"And I need to protect my kingdom. If your sister has the means to do so, it is my duty to assist," Aisha offered.

"And I think that if we can put an end to all of this craziness before the school year properly kicks in, that would be nice," Musa said. "So yeah, I'll help".

"I will repeat that I feel we are less informed than we should be, but I doubt Daphne has lied to us in regards to what information she did choose to reveal. If this mask can indeed stop Valtor, I think it is worth a shot," Flora said. "Though I do question why she felt she could only trust us with it. I hope we will eventually get an explanation for that".

Everyone turned to look at Techna.

"Do I even need a reason to come along?" she asked with a smile. "So, looks like we got ourselves another quest. Go to Andros, deliver mask and save the day".

"Somehow, I doubt it will be that simple," Bloom commented as she eyed the mask. Despite having spent years beneath the surface, it still looked new. Somehow, that made the redhead feel a bit hopeful.


	5. The Mark of Valtor

Chapter 5: The Mark of Valtor

Bloom sighed as she flipped through the channels on the TV. In her lap laid the beautiful mask Daphne had given her, faintly glimmering in the light.

"You seem worried," Aisha stated as she sat down besides the redhead.

"Yeah. I mean, I want to help Daphne out, but... Well, it's not exactly like I've come out of my previous encounters with really powerful nutjobs unscarred," the Dominian princess commented. "I'm just trying to figure out how to approach this. Not only do we need to get out without Faragonda finding out about what we're planning, but when we do get to Andros, how do we even find this guy?"

"Truth be told, he has not exactly been subtle about where he is," Aisha commented. "It's even in the news".

"Really?" Bloom asked as she zapped to the news channel.

"And we're continuing our coverage of the developing situation on Andros, where it has been confirmed that notorious criminal Valtor has managed to escape Omega and that he has now fortified himself by the Omega Portal," the leprechaun newscaster reported. "The Roccalucian order has been contacted and has sent members to assist with the containment efforts. Valtor has taken Queen Ligea of Jezero as his prisoner and has threatened further consequences should any attempt at apprehending him be made. At this point, it seems that a tense standstill is developing on Andros. We've managed to contact one of the Roccalucian representatives at the scene".

"THIS IS A MOST UNJUST SITUATION!" the TV blared as the representative was shown.

"Oh. I did wonder what happened to those guys," Bloom commented as she lowered the volume.

"THESE BEAUTIFUL WATERS HAVE BEEN TAINED BY VALTOR'S VILE EFFORTS! THE VERY UNDERCURRENTS OF THESE OCEANS HAVE BEEN STAINED WITH HIS DESPICABLE EVIL! AND INJUSTICE!" Ben exclaimed to a reporter, who looked like he was about to be blown away. "WE ARE CURRENTLY MEETING WITH THE LEADERS AND TOP MILITARY PEOPLE OF SEVERAL NEARBY REALMS IN ORDER TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE APPROACH STRATEGIES TO THIS MOST HEINOUS SITUATION. BUT REST ASSURED, WE WILL GET THE GOOD QUEEN LIGEA OUT OF THIS MOST TERRIBLE SITUATION, OR I AM NOT BEN THE JUSTICE MAN".

In the background could be heard a triumphant yell of: "SUPER HERO CYBER NINJA HYPER FORCE! THE PATCHAMEN!"

"Inspiring words from dedicated workers," the newscaster commented as the scene changed back to the studio. "In other news, scandal shocks the world of music as Glenda Wetherby, lead guitarist of Mermaid Passion, has been arrested for publicly grabbing a stuffed dog, three roos and a baby carriage, and, under the influence of a great amount of alcohol, using them in a most sordid way by..."

Bloom turned off the TV and said: "Well, could be worse. He could be hiding away in a spooky castle several miles beneath the surface of the planet".

"I also have an idea of how we can ensure transport to the Omega Portal once we get to Andros," the brunette princess continued. "I am most certain that the harbour master's son will transport us to the area under Valtor's control".

"And Stella could probably get us to Andros. But how do we get there without Faragonda noticing?" Bloom speculated.

"Do we have to tell her that we are leaving?" Aisha asked.

"Well, she is my guardian," the redhead replied. "And considering how unfortunate I've been lately, I'm pretty sure she'd like to be able to check up on me. Well, unless..." Bloom rubbed her chin speculatively.

"Am I correct to assume that you have gotten an idea?" the princess of Tides asked.

"Yes. Though I'll have to ask the others about it," the redhead confirmed. "We should probably get together for a meeting here. Do you know where the others are?"

"No, not really," the brunette admitted.

"Well, let's go find them then," Bloom said as she got up from the sofa.

...

"Okay everybody, I think I've got a plan," Bloom said after having gathered her friends in the common room. "Faragonda is going to be watching me like a hawk if I go anywhere even remotely dangerous, but what if we claim to go somewhere nice and safe?"

"And where would that be?" Musa asked. "I mean, think about it. There is not a single place we've been that hasn't at some point been turned into a battlefield".

"Well, true," the redhead admitted. "But what if we reserve a room at a hotel in Magicalis. That's close by and everything".

"And it's also been the scene of a fair amount of throwdowns," Techna commented. "Like our first encounter with Frosty, Shady and Blowhard. Or that time Frosty sicced all her friend on Cacophony. Or when she ruined the talent show thingy".

"I'm starting to notice a pattern here," Stella dryly commented.

"Yes, alright, so I'm well aware that we've had some problems in the city," Bloom sighed while rolling her eyes. "I was actually there for quite a number of them. But it is the best I can come up with. We can't just disappear or she'll most definitely think we've gotten kidnapped". Bloom paused for a bit before adding: "Again".

"All things considered, it would seem our improbably bad luck has given Faragonda a justified reason to be concerned," Flora stated.

"At least she's not trying to enchant our clothes with permanent locator spells," Stella added. "Anymore that is".

"Indeed. But I will agree with Bloom. It is our best shot," the Limphean noble continued. "We need to do it during a weekend of course".

"Okay, so we're all in agreement then?" Bloom asked. "So the plan is that I'll go talk with Faragonda and next weekend we'll go to Magicalis. There, Stella will transport us to Andros, more specifically Tides, where Aisha will secure us transport to the area around the Omega Portal, where we will... Use the mask on Valtor or something".

"I would just like to state for the record that I see several places where this plan could easily fall apart," Flora added. "The most important weak point being that we have no idea how this mask is supposed to defeat Valtor".

"Eh, we'll improvise," Techna commented. "Worst case scenario is that we'll have to smack him with it".

"And why do you consider that to be a worst case scenario?" Musa asked. "You love it when the situation calls for smacking somebody somewhere with something".

"Because masks like that are not good for smacking anybody," the scarred girl stated.

"Do I even want to know why you know that?" Stella asked.

"I can only imagine it involved alcohol," Musa commented dryly. "Lots and lots of alcohol".

"Look, sometimes you just gotta grab whatever's at hand when things get rough," Techna explained sagely. "And sometimes, that's a really bad idea". She briefly traced a scar on her arm, commenting: "Never bring a mask to a knife fight".

"I'll keep that in mind then, but does that mean we're all in agreement?" Bloom asked again.

She got a variety of confirmations.

"By the way, should we tell the boys about this?" Stella asked.

"I suspect that they would feel obligated to stop us," Flora said. "This is a major military operation that we are planning on marching into the middle of because a dead lady told us to wave a mask at a dangerous criminal in order to solve everything".

"How do you manage to keep a straight face when saying stuff like that?" Musa asked slightly in awe. "I'm seriously amazed".

The brunette shrugged and replied: "I am merely stating the truth of the matter, no matter how absurd that may seem".

"Also, there's one small detail we'll need to figure out before we can pull this off," Bloom added. "Does anyone here actually know of any hotels in Magicalis?"

...

Cassandra sat in a chair on one of the castle's balconies, overlooking the beautiful gardens of Solaria. A parasol shielded her from the direct sunlight and a cold drink stood on a little table besides her. In the distance, she could see the king showing some visitors around the gardens while discussing politics. She sighed and took a sip of the drink by her side.

"I'm hooome," Chimera singsonged as she entered her mother's chamber. "And guess who just got invited to an interview on Solaria Today. That's right, me".

"That's nice," her mom said unenthusiastically.

"They personally approached me when I was visiting the ice cream shop down at Golden Avenue," the sorcerer continued proudly. "You know, the really expensive one. Anyway, they said that they wanted to know all about how it feels to become part of the royal family. Of course, they're also trying to ferret out if there's some scandals and stuff, but they always try that. Still, they have tens of thousands of viewers and now I get to shine in front of them all".

"Fantastic," Cassandra commented despondently.

Chimera finally noticed that her mother seemed less than enthusiastic, causing her to pout a bit. She had expected her mother to be happy for her. Or at least happy in general. Instead, Cassandra sat in a chair with a joyless expression while watching the world go by. Unable to figure out why that would be the case, the black-haired sorcerer found it necessary to ask: "What's wrong?"

"I've just not been feeling well lately," her mother replied. "Don't concern yourself with it. You go have your fun".

"Okay," Chimera said enthusiastically, thoughts already on how she would dazzle the viewers with her sophisticated personality and gorgeous looks. She turned around to give her mother some space and yelped as she suddenly noticed that a round window had manifested in the room, behind which Valtor stood and observed them.

"Is this a bad time?" he asked.

"I figured you'd show up sooner or later," Cassandra sighed, getting up from her chair and closing the doors to the balcony. "What do you want?"

"I've just managed to get my hand on the latest Solarian newspaper," the well-dressed sorcerer explained, holding up the edition in question. "Not a lot of postal service out here. Anyway, I just wanted to congratulate you on your amazing story telling skills". He looked at the newspaper in his hands. "Though you do look a bit tired. You should get some more sleep. Bags like that under your eyes are the first sign of a declining health".

"Are you mocking me?" Cassandra asked.

"Not at all. As my link to Solaria, it is only natural that I would be interested in your well-being," the dandy magi argued. "Though I do hope you've taken into consideration that some of those who wee present at the party will doubt the story and a few already know it to be untrue. I would keep an ear to the grapevine, so to speak, if I were you. Otherwise, you risk some very unpleasant surprises".

As Valtor kept talking, Chimera leaned to the side and noticed that there were somebody standing behind the well-dressed magi. "Darcy?!" she exclaimed surprised.

"Hello, cousin," Darcy replied flatly. "Enjoying the life of a noble as usual I see".

"Weren't you sent to Omega?" the black-haired sorcerer asked.

"Yes. And then I left," the dirty-blonde replied. "By the way, if you see my branch of the family at one of your fancy parties, please tell them that I will have them killed at the earliest convenience. Mostly because I took that whole Omega stunt personally and so did my friends".

"As always, you are a bundle of joy," Chimera commented.

"Familicide aside, how goes your relationship with King Radius?" Valtor interrupted, getting the conversation back to important matters.

"I am letting him lead the country without interference. The only use of your mark has been to make sure he doesn't try to contact Stella," Cassandra replied sourly. "And I plan on that remaining the only thing".  
"Well, I do suppose it would seem suspicious if he suddenly adopted all of your political views at once," Valtor agreed.

"It's not because I am afraid of being discovered, it's because I've already done more that enough to him," Cassandra hissed.

"I'm sensing some hostility," Valtor noted. "Very well, I shall leave you alone. Contact me if you have need of assistance". With those words, the window between worlds faded.

Cassandra sighed and shuffled back out unto the balcony.

Chimera eyed her mother with concern for a moment, before deciding that she'd probably get over it and left the room, trying to come up with awesome phrases she could say on TV to impress people with her sharp wit and charisma.

...

"And you are sure you made the reservations for all of us?" Flora asked as they exited the bus into the busy streets of Magicalis.

"Of course I am. I even got a receipt," Stella replied. "It's in my inbox on my computer of course, but I still checked it before we left".

"Nervous?" Bloom asked the Limphean brunette.

"A bit," she admitted as the group walked through town. "This plan strikes me as incredibly risky".

"We don't exactly have the best record for doing safe things, so why start now?" Musa jested. "At least this time we get to choose that we'll do something dangerous".

The group turned a corner and entered an alley. Once they were sure they couldn't be seen from the street, Stella transformed her ring. "Alright, so where on Andros are we going exactly?"

"Flora and Techna helped me make some coordinates," Aisha said as she pulled out a piece of paper. "If you do this correctly, we should end up in the forest right outside the docks. That way, we can disguise ourselves before we enter".

"Why hide? You're the princess of Tides, aren't you?" Musa asked.

"Yes. And my parents will be less than pleased by me risking my life like this," the brunette replied matter-of-factly. "If I die, it would not only cost them their only heir, it would also be a major embarrassment that they couldn't keep me safe. My husband-to-be's family could sue them for letting me get killed before I could produce an heir".

The others were silent for a moment.

"Firetop, will you promise me one thing?" Techna pleaded. "When you take the throne, please don't flush your brain out in the toilet like so many other royals have apparently done".

Aisha just stared at the scarred girl with an inquisitive look, head tilted as she tried to figure out exactly what it was that she had said that had made the girl react like that.

Musa, who was pinching the bridge of her nose really hard, just said: "Stella, get us going before I lose my ability to keep my mouth shut".

"Alright, let's go," the blonde said and held her staff up in the air.

There was a flash and the girls were pulled through the wild ride between worlds that could only be described as being put in a blender made of rainbows. Another flash and they arrived in a forested area close to a coastline.

Bloom stumbled a bit, before leaning up against a tree, saying: "Why... Why is using your staff... Always so much worse than a ship?"

"Because ships have generators on board... To stabilize the interdimensional flight," Techna, who was laying on the grass, explained. "The staff doesn't have that capacity".

"Yes, yes, it's tots topsy-turvy, I know," Stella said. "But at least we're here".

"In... Indeed," Aisha added as she tried to control her stomach. "Now we just need to find Roy".

"Roy?" Musa questioned.

"He's the son of the harbour master," the brunette replied. "He has his own boat and works as a yacht driver. He has often been the one transporting my family whenever we go on a vacation".

"Alright, then let us go find him," Flora said and unpacked some jackets and hoods they could use to disguise themselves.

After donning said disguises, they entered the nearby harbours. From the pristine boats and fancy buildings, it was obvious that these docks belonged to the richer part of the population. However, a heavy atmosphere of dread had descended over the place. What people were on the streets looked nervous and there was very little activity on the docks.

"Kinda dead around here," Techna commented.

"Indeed. All non-essential traffic off the island has been shut down for safety reasons," Aisha explained. "Tides borders the neutral area that houses the Omega Portal, so we're vulnerable to attacks from Valtor and his forces".

She continued leading them through the streets, the group doing their best to act like they fit in even as they did their best to remain unnoticed. It was a moment of relief when Aisha finally declared that they had found the place.

A private part of the docks held a number of impressive boats, one of which was being maintained by a young adult. He had blond hair and darkened skin that bore witness to his frequent exposure to the sun. He wore a dark-blue suit that was vaguely reminiscent of something a diver would wear.

"Hello, Roy," Aisha greeted him as they went up to the boat he was cleaning.

"Huh? Aisha," he said as he recognised her. "Wow, no idea ya were popping by to say hi. Who're the other girls?"

"Friends from school," the princess of Tides said. "Roy, I need you to sail us to the Omega Portal".

The young man froze for a second as his brain processed the request, where after he asked: "Say what?"

"Allow me to explain," Flora said. "Our friend, the princess of Domino, has received a magical mask from her ghost sister which may in some undefined way assist in stopping Valtor, so we need you to sail this boat into the middle of hostile territory so that we may, also in some unspecified way, use the mask on this renegade magi".

Roy kept blinking.

Musa leaned a bit forward so she could see Flora's face, before returning her attention to Techna while quietly saying: "Not so much as the hint of a smile".

"That's frickin' impressive," Techna replied impressed.

"Okay, this sounds all kinds of crazy, mon," Roy finally said. "But why come to me?"

"Because you won't tell my parents if I ask you not to," Aisha said. "They'd stop me if they knew what I was trying to do".

The blond seemed to chew on this for a moment, before saying: "Alright, mon. I'll do it. I'd like to see that bumbaclot Valtor taken down a peg. Been messing up everything around here. Your cousins are all up in arms over that whole kidnapping the queen thing".

"I can imagine," Aisha sighed. "Let's get going then. The sooner we do, the better".

...

Hours later, the boat was skimming across the waters of Andros. The skies above were grey and cloudy, allowing only the occasional beam of sunlight to shine through. As far as the passengers could see, there was only water stretching towards the horizon.

"This gets kinda samey after a while," Techna commented. "Yo, Cap'n. How much further do we need to go?"

Roy checked the navigational chart, before replying: "An hour or two and then you can get on with kicking Valtor's ass, ya".

Around on the deck, the girls were doing what they could to keep their nerves under control. Stella was sunbathing, Musa and Flora were reading and Aisha and Bloom were pacing back and forth. The redhead took her bag off and examined the mask within.

"What's wrong?" Aisha asked.

"I'm nervous," Bloom sighed. "I mean, even if we do find him, what am I supposed to do. Place the mask on him? Hurl it at him?"

"Since Daphne specifically mentioned that she would be capable of manifesting in the vicinity of the mask, I am sure she plans on assisting us somehow," Flora advised.

"I just wish she would have told us what she plans on doing," Bloom continued, leaning on the railing of the ship. "She says she trusts us, so what is it..." She stopped as she noticed several small things clipping through the water, slowly approaching the boat. "Girls. I think we might have a problem".

"Them be the local merfolk," Roy said as he looked back. "If we be lucky, then they be a scout patrol from one of the nearby countries".

Two of the merfolk jetted out of the ocean and landed on the deck. They rose up, balancing on their fish-like tails as they threateningly brandished spears and trident.

"Well, when have we ever been lucky?" Musa mumbled as she threw the book away.

"Remember, they are under the control of Valtor. Non-lethal attacks only," Flora said as they got ready to fend them off.

One of the merfolk lunged and stabbed at Bloom, who stumbled back with a: "And how do I set them on fire non-lethally?!"

"Be creative!" Musa loudly replied and focused. One of the merfolk dropped its spear and clutched its head as a shrill whistling filled it.

The other lunged again, pressing Bloom up against the door to the insides of the ship. It got ready to run her through when several seeds exploded against its head, quickly covering it in a thick pillow of moss. Struggling to get free from the clingy layer of plantlife, the controlled merperson tipped overboard.

The other one also sought refuge from the horrid noise and jumped into the water.

The girls had but a moment to breathe before three other merfolk landed on the deck.

This time Techna took the initiative, brandishing her newest pipe. She smashed the merperson's spear away as it tried to stab her, before jabbing it with her pipe and electrocuting it. The merperson fell convulsing to the floor and Techna turned to face one of the others. It swung its trident like a club, attempting to smack the scarred girl with it. She managed to block, but the mind-controlled warrior continued its twirl, swinging its heavy tail. It smacked against Techna's face with an audible thwack and sent her flying over the side of the ship.

"TECHNA FELL OVERBOARD!" Bloom yelled to Roy.

"Hold on tight!" he called back as he sharply turned the ship. The inertia of the swing sent both the girls and the merfolk against the side. Aisha took the chance and blasted one of the attackers with a concentrated shot of water, tipping it overboard.

As they closed in on Techna, who was laying in the water, Flora conjured several vines and ripped the magenta-haired girl from the ocean as they passed.

"Mom, no more bath time," Techna slurred as she was brought on-board. "I'm clean now".

The remaining conscious merperson on-board hissed as it picked up its weapon again, but Stella acted quickly and flashed it with a bright light. Possessing no eyelids, the merperson was blinded and howled as it rubbed its face. Stella took a step forward and smashed it in the face with her staff, tipping it overboard.

"Alright, they be dropping the chase, ya," Roy said as he looked over his shoulder, where the remaining pursuers ceased hunting them.

Bloom eyed the last merperson on the deck, who had been knocked out by Techna. On the side of its neck was emblazoned a stylish V. "Do you think we can cure him... Or her?" the redhead asked, unsure of how to identify the being's gender.

"It's worth a shot," Stella said. "We did learn something about counterspells from Avalon and Palladium".

"Indeed, but this may be beyond our meagre skills," Flora said as she examined the mark. "Nevertheless, we owe it to this person to try". She placed her hand on the merperson and focused. She could feel her magic trying to interact with the spell, but the mark was a tangled weave of magic with layers upon layers of complicated formula. She wasn't even entirely sure what the spell did.

She was ripped out of her attempt by the scaly hand of the merperson closing around her throat, its teeth barred in a predatory hiss.

"LET HER GO!" Musa yelled as she and Stella immediately jumped to the brunette's aid. They struggled with the trashing merperson, before getting it off Flora and hauled it over the side of the ship.

"You okay?" Bloom asked as she and Aisha inspected the Limphean noble.

"I am fine. A bit shocked, but fine," she reassured them. "But that mark. It is a very complicated curse. I do not expect that we will be able to develop any sort of countermeasure without doing some serious research. And even then..."

"Hopefully they'll go back to normal once Valtor has been stopped," Musa commented.

...

"Did I sense that you didn't like your cousin?" Stormy asked as she and Darcy walked through Valtor's stronghold. "Because I kinda got the feeling".

"The Pollon family was part of the civil war and backed the wrong side, but because they were never directly connected to the atrocities of the war, having only participated by fielding their own soldiers, they were not harshly punished by the victorious families," Darcy explained. "And that's fair enough. The thing with Chimera is that despite being born with the proverbial silver spoon in her mouth, she's still utterly convinced that she deserves more. Again, that's not the problem. The problem is that she wants everyone else to give her what she wants, rather than actually working for it. She feels the world should just march up and hand her everything on a silver platter. That's my problem".

"Wow. Never figured you'd be so into work ethics," Stormy commented.

"I just cannot take how delusional she is," the dirty-blonde replied. "The only thing the world will hand you for free is problems. The rest you gotta work for".

"True enough, I suppose," Stormy mumbled.

The two of the walked into the dining room, where both Icy and Valtor was already present.

"Ah, there you are," the dandy magi noted. "My servitors have just notified me that not long ago, a boat full of people sped into our territory and successfully fended off an attempt at capturing them".

"Any idea who they are?" Darcy asked. "Could it be a military strike or something like that?"

"Hard to say. Distance makes the transmission of raw memories impossible, so I can only go by their descriptions," Valtor replied. "And their puppet-like state sadly leaves them with very bare bones mindsets. I can only confirm that there were people on board and that most of them were women who wielded magic".

"A strike team of magi possibly," Darcy pondered. "Could be faeries, witches or something else. I wonder who sent them?"

"Are we even sure they're here for us?" Stormy asked. "Maybe they just got lost".

"Indeed. It is a distinct possibility that all of this is nothing to worry about," Valtor added.

After a short pause, Darcy asked: "But we're going to check it out anyway, right?"

"Of course," the well-dressed magi said matter-of-factly. "I'll have my servants comb the ocean and report their location. The intruders are not being terribly subtle. Once we know where they are headed, we can interfere and deal with them as necessary. If they truly are just lost, we can send them away with a mild scare".

"Right. But before we go, I have a question," Icy said. "We've been sitting here for some time while your minions have gathered books and reading materials for you. What's the next step of your plan, if there is one?"

"I figured you'd be curious about that," Valtor began. "Very well, let me explain. Around the worlds are dozens of artefacts powered by dragonshades. I know how to transfer shades from one vessel to another. Therefore, if I get my hands on one of these vessels, I can expand my magical capabilities. My research was for locating where such treasures can be found these days".

"And now you know?" Darcy asked.

"Indeed. I have located several potential targets that I'm gathering further research on," Valtor replied. "As powerful as I am, marching in somewhere without being prepared could easily end badly. And as long as I have the queen captured, nobody will dare to assail this fortress".

"Well, except the women who just escaped your border guards," Stormy brought up.  
"True. Which is why I am inclined to believe they've gotten lost," the dandy magi said as he marched up the stairs, the witches following him. "Otherwise, they must be quite confident to assail my domain so brazenly".

"Wait. A team of women magi who charge in..." Stormy began. "Does... Does that sound familiar to anyone else?"

Icy and Darcy eyed each other.

"Nah, couldn't be," Icy said uncertainly.

"That would be most improbable," Darcy commented.

"I mean, I'd love to have the chance. But they wouldn't," Icy continued.  
"They'd have to be crazy," Darcy agreed.

...

"It certainly is nice having all of you back on Alfea," Griselda said as she walked through the halls. "Though I must admit I am curious as to why you choose to come here instead of staying in Pixie Village".

"Hanging with the girls was really super-duper fun last year," Piff said as she and the other pixies followed the deputy. "So we thought that maybe it would be even funner now that Darkar is gone".

"Funnier," Tune corrected her.

"Whatever," came the grammatically incorrect pixie's response.

"Very well. Though the girls are on a little vacation of their own at the moment," Griselda said as she unlocked the common room. "You can stay here until the girls come back and then you'll have to ask them for permission to stay".

"Will do," Amore said as she and the other pixies flew inside and started making themselves comfortable.

"Dips on the remote," Piff immediately called.

"Hey, not fair. My favourite show is on in five minutes," Livy argued.

Griselda closed the doors and turned, only to immediately notice Wizgiz heading down the hall with a tray full of teapots. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing," Wizgiz replied. "I'm just bringing four litres of freshly made tea. It's fer Faragonda".

"Oh. I was certain there weren't any visits scheduled today," the deputy said as she started going through the notes in her clipboard.

"There isn't. It's fer Faragonda," the leprechaun repeated.

Griselda stopped for a moment "That's a lot of tea," she finally stated.

"Indeed," Wizgiz agreed.

"Okay, what's going on?" Griselda finally asked.

"Faragonda has been trying to contact Bloom. But the hotel just says that they haven't arrived yet and Bloom is not picking up her phone," the transformation teacher explained. He adjusted the tray and continued with: "It's the fourth batch I've had to bring her".

"Oh dear," the deputy stated. "That is quite serious. Four whole trays?"

"Indeed. SeFogelia told me that he's almost out of tea until we get resupplied next week," Wizgiz continued. "Two or three more batches and there won't be any more tea in the school".

"We're already running out?" the deputy asked surprised.

The leprechaun nodded gravely and said: "The headmistress has been going through our supply with unprecedented speed. I suspect her nerves are getting quite frayed from all the things that have been happening lately".

"And now that girl have gone missing again. What about Bloom's friends? They went with her too," Griselda inquired.

"Nothing. The lines are dead. Can't even leave a message," the leprechaun explained. "Which makes me doubt they're even in Magicalis. I told Faragonda so and, well, that's when she sent me down fer the fourth batch".

"She's going to have a nervous breakdown at this rate," Griselda sighed, rubbing her temples. "Or a burst bladder. Possibly even both".

"Yes. So I would appreciate if you could come with me and try talking with her before she flies off to track the girls down," Wizgiz said. "I don't have to remind you how bad it got last time something like this happened".

"That was when Bloom, Stella and Aisha went off to Underland without telling anybody, if memory serves," Griselda said. "I was teady to ask Ophelia if we could put something calming in Miss Faragonda's tea when we received the news from the Red Fountain boys that they were returning with the girls".

"Wizgiz, we have a problem," Palladium said as he rounded the corner. "Oh, good, you found some tea".

"What's happening?" Griselda asked.

"Well, I was just at Faragonda's office to inquire about possibly buying some new plants for the greenhouse," the elf explained. "And not a single piece of her furniture was touching the ground".

"Oh no. Her magic is getting affected by her worrying," Griselda stated. "We better get her this tea before she rips the roof off".

...

The boat skipped across the waves, as Valtor and the three witches slowly approached the coordinates where they planned on intercepting the intruders. The sorcerer himself directed the boat, whistling all the while. Darcy and Icy sat on chairs on the deck, reading the newspapers, magazines and books Valtor's minions had procured for them.

"Harvey Cooldown has shown up in and disappeared from another mall," the white-haired witch read aloud.

"People need to accept that he's dead," Darcy commented. "And even if he somehow became a ghost, I see no reason why he would feel a deep personal connection to every mall in existence. The guy wasn't exactly a shopaholic".

As they continued talking about the various news, Stormy headed up to the helm and asked: "So how close are we?"

"Hard to say. I can give you an approximate time once my minions spot them again," Valtor replied. He was silent for a moment, before he asked: "So why are you here, Maria?"

"Huh? Well... I guess I'm afraid of getting sent back to Omega," the wild-haired witch replied.

"Well, understandable. It's not a nice place," the dandy magi agreed. "But I actually meant, why are you here as in why have you chosen this life? Trying to take over Magicalis and allying with Darkar. I doubt it was simply out of a lust for power".

"Well..." Maria sighed. "In the beginning, before this all began, I was very lonely. I had few siblings to hang out with, because most were older than me and had gotten various important positions. No friends to speak of either. And my parents were always busy. They were all so busy that nobody but some of the servants showed up to my last birthday party before I went to Cloud Tower. My family sent some presents, so it was not like they forgot, but still... It's not the same as having people actually showing up". She sighed again. "But I did have some connections due to my family and Darcy saw that as useful. Said that if I made myself important, made myself somebody to be respected, then my parents and family would have to acknowledge me". She paused for a moment, before sheepishly saying: "Sounds petty, right? But after all was said and done, my parents actually came and visited me at Lightrock. It was nice. But then my psychiatrist declared that I was making great strides towards becoming stable and they returned to their busy lives. At least Lucy occasionally visited me, though at this point she'll never forgive me. Not after I also joined up with Darkar. I just thought that if I went along with it, then my family would want to see me again. And then the fucker tried to blow up everything. Thanks to us, he nearly succeeded. Wouldn't blame my family if they just wanted to forget that I existed". The wild-haired witch stopped and touched her face. She suddenly realized that she was crying. The realization caused her to giggle embarrassedly, before saying: "Listen to me, I'm fucking pathetic". That's when she noticed the expression on Valtor's face.

She couldn't quite place what the look meant before he slipped back into a more familiar expression as he comfortingly said: "I for one think you have managed to do great things. And you did the right thing, helping to stop Darkar. The end of almost everything would have been most unpleasant".

"You don't fucking say," Stormy muttered.

"Anyway, in my humble opinion, you..." the sorcerer began, before he stopped. His face became very speculative as he muttered: "I see. Unexpected and yet... Not entirely so".

"What?" the wild-haired witch asked confused.

"Sorry. I just received a message from one of our scouts. They have located the intruders," Valtor replied. "And they were close enough that they could transmit their memories, so I've gotten a clear image of them". He chuckled. "Turns out they really are that crazy".

"What do you...?" Stormy asked, before realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "No. No, you're kidding. You're kidding, right?"

"Not at all. Princess Bloom and her friends are heading in this direction as we speak," the dandy magi replied. "This is going to be most interesting".

"Aw, crap," Stormy muttered, before she turned to the two others and called: "Hey. It's Bloom and her pals who're coming for us".

"Again?" Icy asked as she dropped the magazine. "I mean, I appreciate the opportunity to grind Bloom into the floor, but really? Why do we keep running into those wretched fairies?"

"It is becoming quite ridiculous," Darcy sighed. "Well, let's prepare for the happy reunion. I'm sure they'll be overjoyed to meet us again".

...

"We almost be there now, ya," Roy declared. "I can see the Omega Portal on the horizon".

"Great. Then we can finally get this mask delivered," Bloom said. Suddenly, the boat jerked to a halt and the girls were launched across the deck.

"Athapl?" sounded the muffled voice of Musa, who had been flung face first into the cushion of a seat.

"Did we hit a reef?" Flora asked Roy, who was nursing his rapidly swelling eyelid, due to smashing his head into the controls.

"Nah, not a chance, mon," he replied. "Equipment would have warned me, if that be the case".

"Girls. It's ice," Stella stated as she looked over the side of the vessel. The ocean immediately around the ship had been frozen over and now clung to the sides, arresting all movement. A long trail of frozen water stretched from the boat and the blonde noted three figures slowly walking towards them across the ice. She blinked as she recognised them. "You have got to be kidding me," she groaned as realization set in.

"What? What is it?" Techna asked as she ran to the side. "Wait, is that...?"

"Going somewhere!?" Icy tauntingly called as she, Darcy and Stormy stopped not far from the ship.

"The fuck? Weren't you three supposed to be on Omega?" Techna asked as the other girls ran to the side of the ship. "What are you doing here?"

"We helped out a new friend of ours and in return, he helped us out," Stormy replied. "Of Omega, to be precise".

"They are working with Valtor," Flora stated.

"Not this again," Musa groaned. "Let me make an educated guess. You're here..."

"To stop you, yes," Darcy interrupted "Trust me, it's as annoyingly trite and repetitive for us as it is for you. But we can't have you sailing in and ruining everything".

"Have you at least made sure that your current megalomaniac isn't going to end existence as we know it?" Techna asked.

"We have no reason to think so," Stormy said, before admitting: "Then again, 'spose you could have said the same about Darkar".

"ENOUGH!" Icy yelled. "What is this, a nice get together at the coffee shop? We know you're not going to turn back and that's why we're going to crush you like bugs".

"Because that's how these things usually go down," Stella commented dryly, before having to duck as Icy hurled a block of ice at her.

"Bad move, Icy," Bloom stated as she flung a fireball at the group.

The three witches scattered to avoid the projectile. Icy began making new platforms of ice as she circled the ship, while Bloom and Stella tried to hit her with their magic. Stormy conjured a small tornado for her to ride on as Aisha and Flora tried to interfere. Darcy snaked on-board the ship as a shadow and Musa and Techna went to fight her.

"Should I do anything?" Roy asked as Aisha kept conjuring big waves to smash Stormy off her tornado.

"No, we know how to handle this by now," Flora replied as she transformed several of her seeds into razor sharp leaves, which she sent flying at Stormy. "But if you could look into restarting the boat, that would be appreciated".

Roy stood for a moment as magical projectiles flew through the air, before shrugging and going to work on freeing the rotor from the ice.

Darcy jerked back as Techna swung her pipe and moved around the controls of the ship. As she saw Musa close in from the other side with her fans, she vaulted over the controls and moved around to attack Techna from the other side. The scarred girl twirled on the spot and jabbed the electric end at the witch, but she smashed it aside with one knife and lashed out with the other, which Techna barely dodged.

Meanwhile, Icy kept firing a plethora of frosty projectiles at Bloom and Stella, who returned fire with concentrated blasts of flames and light in an attempt to destroy the white-haired witch's footing. Isabella growled as she skated around another projectile. Constantly creating new ice to walk on was quickly draining her of energy and she knew she would not be able to keep it up for long. She focused on Bloom, seeing her as the bigger threat. As the redhead began gathering energy for another attack, Icy closed in on the ship.

Bloom concentrated, drawing on a bit of her dragonflame to empower her fireball. She noticed that Icy was getting closer and fired the enlarged ball of flame. Isabella scowled and slid across the frozen water, barely managing to slide under the projectile. She could feel her hair getting singed from the proximity and the ice and water behind her was evaporated. But it had worked. In the split second after throwing the flame, Bloom was defenceless. Icy rose up, shaping the water into ice.

The redhead barely had time to react as a great fist of frozen saltwater smashed up through the side of the ship, tearing metal and wood apart. It caught her in the chest and lifted her from the deck. All air was knocked from her lungs as she flew through the air, the horizon twirling around in the distance.

And then she crashed into the ocean, immediately sinking like a rock. She tried to move, but the blow had stunned her body. She could do nothing but wriggle her limps as she slowly sank lower and lower, the surface of the waters disappearing above. Darkness engulfed her mind and consciousness left her.

Suddenly, rocks rose beneath the redhead and began lifting her to the surface. A small circle of stone, a meeting place for merfolk, rose up and broke through the waves, before coming to a rest.

Valtor stepped forth as the gills on the side of his neck vanished. He took a moment to adjust as his body shifted to breathing air again. He had decided to let the witches lead the assault, mostly so he would have an opportunity to gauge theirs and their opponents' strength. He himself had taken a walk at the bottom of the ocean while keeping an eye on them. This close to the Omega Portal, the waters weren't even that deep. He would still have to cleanse his clothes of saltwater, which annoyed him, but such was life at times. He walked closer to the unconscious redhead and placed a hand on her arm. Seconds later, Bloom's innards contracted and a large amount of saltwater was expelled from her mouth. The dandy magi paused for a moment, making sure her body was working as it should and that she wouldn't drown or asphyxiate. That's when he noticed something. Carefully, he opened Bloom's bag and eyed the mask within.

...

"Come back here and take what's coming to ya! I'll bite your legs off!" Techna helplessly yelled as she flopped around on the deck. Darcy had managed to surprise her and in the process cut her arms and legs, rendering the scarred girl unable to fight. The dirty-blonde hadn't gotten away with it scot free however. The attack had taken long enough that Musa had managed to swing her entire body over the ship's controls and into Darcy's chest, smashing the witch across the deck.

At the other end of the ship, Icy had made her way on-board and was now trying to smash Stella's face in with a mallet of ice, while the Solarian blonde angrily returned fire with several laser blasts.

At another part of the boat, Aisha successfully managed to throw Stormy off her tornado with a well placed splash of water.

"I'll be going under the deck for some tools," Roy reported as he passed by. "Need anything, mon?"

"A first aid kit would be appreciated," Flora, who was nursing a slightly scorched arm, reported.

"Will do," the sailor replied before walking off.

Icy aggressively swung her hammer, but Stella dodged to the side and the blunt instrument did nothing but bend the railing. The blonde immediately countered and jabbed the heavy end of the sceptre into Icy's stomach, knocking the air from her lungs.

"Didn't I tell you not to hurt people I care about?" Stella angrily asked while swinging her do weapon with both hands. The white-haired witch was momentarily stunned from the jab and could nothing to prevent the attack. The heavy end crashed into her face and knocked her backwards.

Growling, Icy raised her hands and launched a beam of concentrated cold, which Stella countered with a beam of sunlight. They stood for a second, each pouring their energy into overcoming the other's attack. Then a massive vine caught Icy by surprise and smashed her screaming over the side of the ship.

"I hope you do not mind me interrupting your little duel," Flora stated as she walked up to the exhausted Stella.  
"Not at all. Let's get Bloom," the blonde gasped.

Darcy, who had gotten several small cuts from her encounter with Musa, eyed the situation and quickly figured that they weren't going to win. Just as the black-haired girl attacked again, Darcy sunk into a shadow and slithered off the ship.

"Alright, the boat be working again, mon," Roy called as the engine started.

"Not a moment too soon," Musa said as she eyed the raised island. "I think Bloom needs our help, now".

...

Slowly, consciousness returned to Bloom. Her entire body was sore and she could barely move. In the distance, she could hear voices, though they were muted and drowned out. Slowly, she opened her eyes, the world seeming blurry and unfocused. She sat up with gritted teeth as a pounding headache made itself known.

The voices stopped and the only sound Bloom could hear was that of crashing waves. Slowly, the world came into focus and the redhead realised that she was sitting in an old stone building, patches of it covered with algae and barnacles. She looked around and eyed a strange man, whom she immediately recognised as the person she had seen on Solaria. He was currently holding Daphne's mask, studying it with an unreadable expression".

"You're awake," he noted, shifting his attention. "Slept well? I would have woken you up minutes ago, but you seemed to need a bit of rest, what with almost drowning".

"Wait... What?" Bloom said groggily as she looked around. "You... You saved me".

"I did. No reason to let you die, now is there," he continued as he returned his attention to the mask. "So, Bloom was it? I gather you and your friends were looking for me".

"We... Wait," the redhead said. "You're Valtor?"

"None other," the dandy magi replied and bowed elegantly. "I'm sorry to say that if you expected that this mask would stop me, I'll have to disappoint you".

"You... You're the criminal... Who's been taking over Andros," Bloom gasped as she forced herself up.

Valtor chuckled and replied. "Taking over Andros? Really now, I've only claimed this small piece of it. Though I suppose people have a tendency to exaggerate. I imagine they haven't put much effort into painting a fair picture of me. I gather I've become quite the bogeyman these days".

"You ruined Domino," Bloom stated.

The sorcerer paused for a moment, before sighing and asking: "And what do you imagine happened, Princess? That I rose up one day, laughing manically while declaring my evil? That I brought destruction to all the peaceful little villages as I personally smote them? That it was my personal declaration of war against everything good and just in the world?" He raised an eyebrow. "A rather un-nuanced idea, wouldn't you say?"

Bloom paused for a bit as she chewed on her lips.

"The truth is that the whole Domino affair is more complicated than that, but people prefer the simple narrative," Valtor continued. "So yes, I was involved in creating the curse. That much is true. But that is neither here nor there". He paused as he turned around, watching the Omega portal in the distance. "I have no intentions of being sent back to Omega. The very idea of spending existence frozen in a box on that forsaken ball of ice is dreadful. So I'll tell you the same thing I've been telling everyone else. Leave me alone and I will not hurt you". He turned back to Bloom. "In fact, if you agree to leave, then I will make sure to have you and your friends escorted. No harm shall befall you". He adjusted his coat as he continued: "And do not delude yourself into thinking you can fight me. I have many more years of experience and training than you do. Your little plan has failed and you have nothing else to rely on, so it would be in your best interest to leave".

"And if we don't?" Bloom asked.

Valtor's eyes became noticeably colder as he said: "In that case, things will get... Unpleasant".

There was a sudden burst of light as a shining beam pierced through Valtor's chest.

"GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU CREEP!" Stella yelled as she and the other girls leapt off the boat.

Valtor eyed the hole in his chest. Then he slowly turned towards the others. They froze as they saw the rapidly mending wound.

"You've made a hole in my clothes," Valtor coldly stated. "I happen to like these clothes".

"I take it you are not going to surrender," Flora commented.

"Wouldn't dream of it," the sorcerer replied. Suddenly, the very rock shifted and the girls scattered as boulders jabbed at them from the ground.

Bloom concentrated and launched a fireball, but it merely smashed against a magical barrier that Valtor conjured. With a movement of his hand, he tipped the rocks beneath her, hurling her backwards. He turned as Techna came charging at him. Blinding light exploded from his palm and he easily sidestepped the now blind girl as she charged past him, swinging her pipe while yelling an assortment of family unfriendly curses. Valtor turned and saw that Stella was charging her magic. She fired another beam of light, but Valtor redirected it away from himself with a thought.  
"Perhaps you don't get it yet," he stated in annoyance as he conjured another shield to block an attack from Flora. "But you can't actually beat me. You're not even close to having the experience and knowledge of magic to..." He stopped as he was soaked in a massive wave of water thanks to Aisha. "Right. Very well then," he stated as he fixed his hair. "I see you'll need some proper discouragement". He focused his magic and began using the general spells that allowed him to shift earth at will, before he sunk into the stone.

"Where did he go?" Techna asked as she looked around.

"I think he retreated," Aisha carefully suggested. Suddenly, Valtor burst out of the ground behind her and planted his palm between her shoulder blades. Aisha felt her entire body tense as all control of it was robbed from her.

"Allow me to demonstrate what happens to those who get in my way," Valtor stated, glaring at the other fairies. He concentrated and Aisha felt something pop in her head. She stumbled forward before falling to the ground.

"AISHA!" the girls yelled and rushed to her aid. Flora began helping her up from the ground.

"Girls? Is that you?" Aisha asked nervously. "Where are you?"

The fairies gasped. Aisha's eyes were milky white. Valtor had blinded her.

"Now do you see?" Valtor asked. "With but a touch, I could reduce all of you to blind, deaf and mute cripples. But I won't". The girls stared at Aisha. Tears streamed down her face as she realised what had happened to her. "That is, if you cease your interference of course," the sorcerer added.

"YOU FUCKING...!" Techna began as she prepared to jump him, but Flora and Musa were quick to hold her back.

"Seems we've come to an agreement," the well-dressed sorcerer said. "Very well then. I imagine you can find the way out of here on your own". Then he turned and walked away, disappearing into the ocean.

"What about the mask?" Stella asked as she turned to Bloom.

"He took it," the redhead said as she tried to comfort the crying Aisha. "I don't know if it did anything, but..." she sighed. "We should never have come here in the first place". The girls stayed on the raised island for a while, before silently returning to the boat.


	6. Under the Sea

Chapter 6: Under the Sea

"I can't believe it," Faragonda muttered as she paced back and forth in her office. "Never showed up at the hotel. No replies on the phone. It's been over twelve hours and there hasn't been the slightest response from any of them". In her hands, she was clutching a teacup so hard that her knuckles were becoming white. "I've told them again and again not to disappear like that". She paused. "What if they have been kidnapped again? They could all be out there, hurt and in need of help. What am I doing here?"

"Miss Faragonda," Griselda interrupted. "While I always have and always will respect your dedication to the students of the school, I must advise that you do not run off to find the girls, even if it is with the best of intentions. Thanks to Stella, the girls could have gone to any number of places".

"You're right, of course," the headmistress sighed. "I just don't want to sit here and do nothing. Not while I don't know what's become of them. What kind of headmistress cannot keep her students safe?"

"Faragonda, everyone knows ye have done everything ye could," Wizgiz added. "Ye cannot keep them safely here at the school forever. Surely you must have noticed that they have the lust for adventure in them".

"Still, they shouldn't just have lied and left," Palladium added.  
"True. Sneaking off like that is not okay. And they are definitely not as ready as they seem to think they are," the leprechaun agreed. "But they all possess that drive to help and assist others in need. Admirable qualities even".

"Perhaps you're right. But being the hero is not always as great as the stories claim," Faragonda sighed as she stared out the big window at the rising moon. She looked at the empty teacup. "I'll go ask SeFogelia if he has any more tea. I need something to calm my nerves. Do any of you want anything?"

"Well, being back on the ground would be nice," Palladium answered.

Faragonda blinked. She suddenly realised that everything in the room but her, including her staff, was floating around weightlessly. "My apologies," she quickly said as she focused, letting the different objects and people slowly sink down to the floor. "I got so worried that I... I didn't mean to..."

"It's quite okay, Miss Faragonda, we understand," Griselda said comfortingly as she picked her clipboard back up.  
"Yes. We are all worried," Palladium added. "But there's nothing we can do unless we find out exactly where they went. The most we can do is contact the authorities and have them keep an eye out. But unless they're just out really late, I doubt they will find them. They could be in any known dimension".

"I really need that tea now," Faragonda said tiredly as she rubbed her temples.

"We'll come with ye. I feel like getting a midnight snack for meself anyway," Wizgiz said. The four members of the Alfea staff left the office and made their way to the kitchen, where SeFogelia was just taking stock of everything so he knew what he would be able to make for breakfast.

"Hello. I hope we're not disturbing," Faragonda said as they entered.  
"Not at all," SeFogelia replied, still busy going through the cupboards. "Just finishing up for ze night. What do you need?"

"Well, another pot of tea would be nice," the headmistress continued. "I mean, I know I've asked for a lot of tea today, but I find that it really helps calm my nerves".

"Tea? Sorry, but I cannot 'elp you zere," the cook replied. "You drank ze last tea we had. Zere won't be any more tea until next week".

"There's no more tea?" Faragonda repeated.

"Nope. All out," the cook confirmed.

There was a slight twitch in the headmistress' expression. Then everything in the room started floating.

"Well, there goes the neighbourhood," Wizgiz sighed as he lost contact with the ground.

"No, no, you're messing everything up!" SeFogelia exclaimed as his pristine kitchen was exposed to zero gravity. "Don't drop anything on the floor! I've just cleaned ze place! Watch ze platters, I've just bought them!"

"I'll add 'Ask Ophelia for tranquillizers' to tomorrow's to-do list," Griselda noted as she grabbed a floating pen and began writing.

...

"Sooo... How are you feeling?" Techna asked Aisha.

"Weird," came the reply.

The girls had stayed overnight in the boat, which Roy had anchored to a small island some distance away from the place they had fought Valtor. Since then, Aisha had attempted to adjust to her new handicap.

"Just take it slowly," Flora advised her. "This is not a skill that will come easily to you".

Aisha took a deep breath and got up from the chair she had been resting in. Slowly, she made her way around the boat. Her knack gave her a connection to water, which meant that she could navigate by sensing where there was water in the environment. And since water was a pretty common element of everything, that gave her good odds of sensing the things around her, though she would have to get used to navigate with her magic rather than with her body. "It's very odd," the princess of Tides continued as she stumbled around. "It's like... I can feel things around me... From the inside of me... Sorta".

"All magi have a sense for their knack. It is an important part of how we manipulate the world," Flora explained. "Using this to sense the presence of the thing one has the knack for in the environment is but a natural extension of this".

"Wow. Did I miss out on a lesson somewhere?" Bloom asked.

"Not at all. This is a much more advanced use of magic, which I expect they will cover either this or next year," the Limphean noble responded. "But I have already been trained in this technique. Being able to navigate with more than just sight is a blessing on my home planet".

"So, what's the plan for today, mon? Besides training Aisha," Roy asked, returning from some routine maintenance.

"Maybe we should just go home," Musa suggested. "This operation has been a fiasco so far and we're still in hostile territory".

"And there's no way they're not going to find out what we've been up to," Stella sighed. "We can't just, like, waltz back to Alfea and go 'Aisha's blind? Wow, I never noticed'".

"I still suggest we stay with Roy until we are back in more peaceful waters," Flora commented.

"Yeah, I agree. No reason to ditch Cap'n here in the middle of nowhere," Techna agreed.

Aisha, who was still slowly walking around the boat, suddenly stopped. "Something is approaching us through the water," she stated, turning her head towards the ocean.

"Crap. Hope it's not more of Valtor's crazy fish people," Techna said as she hurried to the side of the ship, accompanied by the others.

Then the approaching thing broke the surface. Bloom was quite surprised. Superficially, she resembled one of the merfolk, but her features were much more human, even possessing eyelids, proper lips and fiery red hair.

"Hello. I need help," she pleaded.

"That voice... Tressa, is that you?" Aisha asked as she stumbled to the railing.

"Aisha? Thank goodness, you're... Aisha, what's happened to you?" Tressa asked in shock as she noticed the brunette's eyes.

"We had a rather unfortunate run-in with Valtor," Musa explained. "Sadly, it ended up costing Aisha her sight".

"I'll manage. But more importantly, what are you doing all the way out here?" the blind brunette asked.

"I was in the castle at Zamak with my mother, Queen Ligea," the mermaid explained. "But Valtor's forces attacked the village. Mother told me to flee and I've been trying to get help since then, but these waters are filled with Valtor's corrupted merfolk. I haven't seen a friendly face in days. When I saw the boat, I really hoped you were a military vessel or something like that".

"The queen? Wait, wasn't the queen the reason that nobody dared to try to arrest Valtor?" Bloom asked the others.

"Yes. If we can get the queen away from him, then the others can move in and capture him," Musa agreed. "That's fantastic. Maybe we can still turn this around".

"Would it not be better if we escort Tressa out of these waters and find somebody with better training for this?" Flora asked.

"Dunno. What do you say?" Techna asked the mermaid.

"Well, I'm just afraid that if Valtor finds out that somebody knows where my mother is, he'll have her moved," she replied. "And then who knows how long it will take to find her again?"

"Hmm, that could indeed be a problem," Flora stated.

"It's not, like, the only one," Stella commented. "I don't know about the rest of you gals, but I tots haven't learned how to breathe water yet".

"I can protect you with my magic," Aisha offered.

"In that case, it would seem we have a plan," Flora stated. "Though I would like to go over a couple of details with Tressa here so we can be sure we are approaching this correctly".

As the Limphean noble began interviewing Tressa, Bloom turned to Aisha and asked: "So is Tressa one of your friends? You seemed to know her".

"She's my cousin," the brunette answered.

"Oh. Okay," Bloom said slowly. "But she's a mermaid".

"Well, as you can probably see, she's different from other merfolk," Aisha explained. "It's a longer story and I do not think I'll have the time to explain it, so I'll save it for later".

"Everybody, I have gathered some information and I believe we should discuss some things about this operation," Flora said. "But I do think this operation could be successful if we approach this situation properly".

"Finally, we tots get to pay that jerk back for..." Stella began, but she stopped when her ring began shining. "Hey, what up with..." There was a bright flash and the artefact disappeared. "...That?" the Solarian blonde finished, her face an expression of pure shock.

"Where did your ring go?" Techna asked surprised.

"It's... It's been recalled," Stella said flabbergasted. "I mean, I knew that could be done. A safety feature if it got lost. But why would they take the ring back?"

"Wait. I just remembered something," Bloom suddenly said. "Valtor was in Solaria hours before the king lost his mind".

"Oh crap, that would explain his weird behaviour," Musa groaned.

"But what does that have to do with my ring?" Stella asked.

"If he controls your father, he may have made Radius recall the ring in order to weaken us, as to further dissuade us from interfering with his plans," Flora said. "It would be in our best interest to hurry up and save the queen before he finds further ways to weaken us".

...

Cassandra sat in her chair, trying to block out the constant jubilations of Chimera. She didn't mind her daughter being happy per say, but not only was she herself less than comfortable with the situation, but Chimera had also been running around fuelled by nothing but pure glee for the last hour or so. The only moment she wasn't running in circles talking about her grand plans was when she updated her status online to make sure all her friends were 'jelly' of her, as the black-haired sorcerer put it.

"Somebody seems to be happy," Cassandra heard somebody say and she glared out of the corner of her eye to see Valtor enter the room.

"So, you've decided to show up in person today," the noblewoman commented.

"Well, I needed to stretch my legs," the dandy sorcerer replied. "So, I take it everything went as planned?"

"I have no idea how any of us got away with this," Cassandra mumbled while she tried to massage a small headache away.

"It is as I told you. Chimera is the better candidate in many of the royal family branches' eyes," Valtor explained. "I imagine they've always been dissatisfied with Radius' and Luna's child rearing methods".

"We just announced that we were legally married and that my daughter is now the heir to Solaria," Cassandra stated. "How does nobody see that as suspicious? I was expecting to be called out and dragged away in chains every second of that meeting".

"Nobody found it suspicious because it's what the other nobles wanted or expected to hear," the well-dressed sorcerer said. "As I knew they would. Seventeen years has done little to chance noble society. They will always prefer 'one of their own' in power, rather than one who has been exposed to the so-called lower classes".

"And what do you think?" Cassandra asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That most royals have their heads so far up their rears that they could look out through their own bellybuttons," Valtor stated nonchalant. "But it does make them easy to play. They are a... Predictable lot".

"Mom, Mom, look what I can do with this!" Chimera exclaimed gleefully as she ran into the room, herding a bank of clouds with the Sceptre of Solaria. She skid to a halt as she noticed Valtor and said: "Oh, you're here. I guess I should be thankful".

"For me securing you a future as the queen of this country and helping you take one of the most powerful Solarian artefacts away from the former heir?" Valtor asked. "Yes, a bit of gratitude would not be unwarranted".

"Well, thank you then," Chimera said dismissively, causing the dandy sorcerer to roll his eyes. "Anyways, Mom, look. I can control at least twice as many clouds at once as before".

"I'm sure you'll get even better once you train some more with that thing," Cassandra stated.

"You think? That's amazing. I gotta show this off on Solaria Today!" Chimera exclaimed as she charged out of the room again.

"It was probably one of my brighter ideas to not bring the witches along," Valtor dryly stated. "I'm pretty sure not even somebody as calm and collected as Darcy could refrain from at the very least kicking her shins".

"You have successfully given her what she's always believed she deserved," Cassandra commented. "Do not claim to be surprised".

"I'm not at all suprised. At most, I am a bit miffed," the dandy sorcerer replied. "Though I was not that surprised by your daughter's lack of gratitude. So unlike you in that way. Does she get it from her father's side?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," the noblewoman sighed. "Now, do you want me to jerk my beloved around as a puppet some more or can I finally get some peace and quiet?"

"I can take a hint," Valtor stated as he began walking away. "I'll be in contact if I need anything else".

"I'm sure you will," Cassandra glumly commented as she was left alone in the large and empty throne room.

...

"So, should I be joining ya?" Roy asked as the girls got ready to leave the boat.

"No. In case of an emergency, we need to be sure the boat is still here and not occupied by hostiles," Flora said. "Do not worry. We will be careful".

"If ya say so," Roy replied, though he looked less than excited by the thought.

"Alright. Aisha, your spell," Bloom said.

The princess of Tides concentrated and the girls felt themselves being enveloped in a magical aura. Preparations done, they jumped into the cold waters of the ocean. Tressa took the lead and began directing them through the sea. Aisha's spell made them able to breathe underwater and did a lot to protect them from the temperature and pressure.

"I can... Well, _see_ a lot better down here," Aisha could be heard saying, thanks to Musa redirecting soundwaves through the water. Having to wait for the message to be passed by the black-haired musician still meant there was a second or two of delay between the person talking and somebody else hearing it, but it was far better than exploring the ocean in complete silence.

"Well, if you see through water, I 'spose you are at an advantage down here compared to us," Techna compared.

"It's like having eyes everywhere," Aisha continued.

"That will come in handy," Flora stated. "Especially since we are very vulnerable down here. We are not in any way adapted to the ocean and attacks could come from every conceivable direction. We must exercise the utmost of caution".

The girls followed Tressa, through beautiful forests of coral and jungles of seaweed. Fish scattered at their approach and the sand beneath them was filled with a variety of animals. Though Bloom knew they were in hostile territory, she couldn't help but admire the scenery.

"There it is," Tressa said as she stopped swimming. "Zamak".

In front of them, an undersea village lay nestled between two sides of an underwater gorge, at the end of which was built a great castle directly into the rocky sides. The houses were made of very solid looking material, with thick walls and very squat structure, which Bloom supposed was for stability. But other than that, the place looked surprisingly modern.

"So what kinda town was this place?" Musa asked.

"It used to be a quiet little village. Me and my mother would often spend the summer here. Sometimes my brothers would even join us," Tressa explained. "After one attack too many, Valtor invaded with an army of possessed merfolk. He took control of everybody and added them to his armies". She was quiet for a moment. "It was terrifying".

"Don't worry, we'll totally do what we can to get your mother out of there," Stella stated confidently.

The group swam closer and began swimming through the village. While there was a greater risk of ambush down between the seemingly abandoned houses, Flora had deemed it a bigger risk if they got spotted by every single one of Valtor's merfolk out in the open, which the other girls had agreed with.

As they swam down a side street, Aisha suddenly stopped, a look of concentration on her face. "We've been spotted," she stated as she turned around. "They're coming for us".

True enough, several mind-controlled merfolk slithered out of the shadows, weapons ready.

"Alright then," Techna said as she raised her fists, having left her pipe on the boat due to a risk of electrocution. "Bring it".

...

Faragonda sat in her chair, fingers drumming on her desk. A new day had begun and the midday sun rose in the distance. There was a knock on her door and she called: "Come in".

"You wished to see me," Avalon said as he entered.  
"Yes. I wanted your opinion," Faragonda said. "Have you heard the news from Solaria?"

"How recent news are we talking about?" the paladin inquired.

"Less than three hours ago, King Radius announced that he was now legally married to Countess Cassandra, though a proper ceremony will not be held for a while," Faragonda said.

"Really? No, I hadn't heard that," Avalon stated suprised.

"And at the same time, they announced that it had been decided that Chimera Pollon would be the direct heir to the throne, not Stella Guildenstern," Faragonda continued.

"Really? That is highly irregular," Avalon noted as he rubbed his chin. "Tradition is that the firstborn, which would be Stella, is the heir unless the person in question is deemed completely incapable, usually due to being mentally unwell. But there's no reason to think that Stella would be unfit to rule". He furrowed his brows. "And given what's been happening lately, especially at the Princess Ball, this just seems suspicions".

"Then it isn't just me," Faragonda sighed relieved. "I was worried I was getting paranoid after the fifth Solarian noble family congratulated them on the decision".

"Maybe they are suspicious, but agree with the decision too much to make a fuss," Avalon speculated. "I cannot imagine Queen Luna is pleased".

"Me neither, though she hasn't commented yet," Faragonda said. "But that is not the worst part. It's been confirmed that Chimera has already been handed the Sceptre of Solaria".

"Wait. But the girls..." Avalon began. "I see. That is... Most unfortunate".

"I was hoping you could contact your order. Have them keep an eye out," Faragonda said.

"Well, many of us have been sent to Andros at this point, but sure, I will contact them," Avalon agreed. "I will also need to know what they think of this situation. I suspect Radius is not in his right mind. Especially not after what was reported about his behaviour earlier".

"The problem is that it will be hard to prove and even harder to do anything about. Especially if whomever is pulling the strings can gather support from the other branches of the royal family," the headmistress continued. "They will not allow anyone to aid the king if they see him being controlled as favourable".

"Right. Neither my order nor the Roccalucian one has the authority to just march in there," Avalon agreed. "But if Queen Luna suspects anything, she could probably help. She is still the co-ruler, after all. Anyway, I will take my leave. I will make sure to mention to my fellow paladins that they should keep an eye out for the girls".

"Please do," Faragonda replied. "Because if this goes on for any longer, I will not remain sitting here waiting for things to happen".

...

Long strings of seaweed shot out from the ocean floor, entangling the attacking merperson. With a movement of her hands, Flora caused the attacker to be dragged and tied to the bottom. She slowly turned around in the water as she prepared to defend herself again, aware that attacks could come from any side.

Musa blasted two of the attackers, sending them back with a shockwave through the water. Her abilities were somewhat hindered by the environment, but she could still pack a punch. As two merfolk tried to flank her, she created another shockwave, this one to propel herself back, out of range of her enemies.

Stella assisted by creating blinding lights and the occasional laser, but she was unused to fighting for long without relying upon her artefact for a power boost. She found herself easily fatigued and drained by the experience, not helped by the water hindering the spells to a degree by diffusing the light.

Bloom and Techna, however, were even more disadvantaged by the underwater environment. Techna knew few, if any, general spells applicable to combat and her self-invented gear was ill-suited for underwater use. And Bloom found herself unable to conjure flames underwater, which didn't strike her as the biggest of surprises. Instead, both of them had to fight with whatever they could get their hands on, mostly by taking the spears and tridents available from the merfolk that had been beaten by their friends. Together with Tressa, the two of them did what they could to force the attackers back, though it was clear that they would easily have been overrun if not for the others. Tressa herself demonstrated skill and training with her spear and blade, though she lacked experience in how to handle a battlefield.

Aisha, however, was at her best. Able to sense everything in every direction and manipulate the water with every movement, she was hurling merfolk around as she created underwater streams, waves, vortexes and whatever else was needed.

The merfolk under Valtor's control were attacking with what could only be described as fanatic enthusiasm. But their attacks were devoid of much in the way of strategy, cleverness or any sign of experience. They behaved mechanically, something the outnumbered girls used to their advantage. The merfolk constantly tried to surround them, but showed no sign of pattern recognition, so the group constantly shifted position, with Aisha and Musa both assisting in the task, which made the merfolk swim around to try to surround them all over again. In the end, the seven of them managed to take down a squad of Valtor's minions three times their numbers.

"That... Was awful," Stella gasped as she allowed herself to sink to the ground. "How many of these does he have?"

"Many," Tressa stated as she investigated one of the merfolk Flora had tied down. "These are not even our military. They're converted civilians from the city. I recognise a few of them. Some worked at the castle".

"That guy is out of control," Techna groaned. "Seriously, why do this to people?"

"To prevent them from opposing him. To assist in his schemes. To punish them. Pick your poison," Musa said. "I really don't care what his reasons are. The important thing is that we hamper his operations and that we do so without unnecessarily hurting these people".

"I agree with that," Tressa agreed.

"What if he has also taken control of the queen?" Bloom asked.

"Then we secure her as best as possible and bring her back," Flora said. "Even if it will take them a while to cure her, the very fact that Valtor no longer has her will tip the balance in their favour, enabling the other realms to enter the area and hopefully arrest Valtor before he causes even more chaos and disorder".

"So, we continue towards the castle?" Stella asked.

"Indeed. We will be entering through a secret escape tunnel," Flora said. "If Valtor did not know of it, it is unlikely his puppets will either. We just need to keep a low profile until we reach it. Hopefully, we will avoid any more enemy patrols. We prevailed this time, but I do not fancy our odds".

Bloom eyed her shoulder, where a spear had scratched a still bleeding hole. "Agreed. Me and Techna are kinda defenceless and Stella's definitely not at her best".

"Indeed. And, no offence, but Tressa is obviously inexperienced, even if she is well-trained," Flora continued. "Our greatest strength is that Valtor's spell has robbed these merfolk of much of their higher brainpower. They are mentally limited and that gives us an advantage, but we should not rely upon it too much".

"Well, with that settled, let us continue," Tressa said and the group continued their swim through the silent city.

...

The castle was a grand structure, though, like every other building in the city, constructed with an eye towards stability. Being built into the very sides of the gorge did help a lot on that, so there were a lot more architectural flourishes, but mostly it was still a rather squat building with thick walls. A large area of the seafloor in front of it had been converted into a garden, with beds of corals, colourful sea plants and the like. There was even something that resembled a fountain, which spewed a strange greyish liquid that flowed along the carved stone.

The girls entered the great building through a secret exit that Tressa had used to flee the place when Valtor first arrived. It was a rather simple one, hidden by rocks on the outside and a large portrait on the inside, but Tressa was sure than none of the controlled guards could remember it and that her mother would never tell Valtor about it.

The insides of the castle was luxurious, with many fine things, though little in the way of rugs or the like. But the design of the place was very confusing for the faeries. Being underwater, the merfolk were not as constrained by gravity, so some rooms and hallways would have doors going it what would normally be the oddest directions. This would have made searching the place thoroughly a rather daunting task, but Tressa was obviously quite familiar with the castle and was therefore easily capable of helping them get around. But as they swam through corridors and rooms, the girls began noticing something.

"Is it just me or is this place, like, bit empty?" Stella asked. "Not that I'm, like, missing our lovable possessed merfolk pals, but you'd think Valtor would have posted guards".

"They are most likely guarding the main entrances. I doubt it has occurred to them that enemies could enter the castle through any other way," Flora stated.

Tressa continued to lead them deeper into the lower sections of the castle, where the dungeons where located. The mermaid princess had suggested that her mother was the most likely imprisoned there, a conclusion the faeries had agreed with.

The dungeons themselves consisted of a dozen or so cells, stacked on top of each other in a way that was reminiscent of a beehive, each with its own circular cell door. Inside one of the cells rested a mermaid, thin and gaunt with very human-like features on her face. She was dressed in several bands of beautiful seashells and pearls, with a gemstone encrusted gold crown resting upon her head.

"Mother," Tressa said relieved as she swam up to the cell door.

"Tressa," the mermaid queen said surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't get all the way out of the area. Valtor's minions were everywhere," Tressa said sadly. "But I found Princess Aisha and her friends. They're here to get you out".

"Most unexpected," Ligea stated. "But I'll be thankful for any help I can get".

As Tressa, Flora and Techna began working the locked door in an attempt to get the queen out, Aisha sense something slowly approach them. "Who's there?" she asked as she turned around.

That proved to be a mistake.

The thing lashed out quicker than Aisha could react and smashed her. The brunette could feel something tear into her skin, followed by an intense burning sensation. Agony blossomed through her arm, even as she became unable to move it. A long and elastic tentacle wrapped around her midsection and dragged her away.

The other girls turned just in time to see a screaming Aisha being pulled into one of the castle's corridors.

"Oh crap," Techna said as she pushed away from the door. "Something's got Aisha".

"That something is the kraken Valtor took control of," Ligea said. "It guards the castle".

"A kraken?" Bloom asked nervously, going slightly pale. "You have those here?"

"Considering one just kidnapped Aisha, obviously," Musa commented annoyed. "So how about we go help her before she becomes squid chow?"

"But the queen hasn't been freed yet!" Stella exclaimed.

"Tressa, keep trying to free your mother," Flora said as she and the others swam off. "We must go assist Aisha".

"Dammit," the mermaid princess hissed as she returned her attention to the cell. "I don't know how to pick a lock". She paused for a moment. "But there is something I can do," she stated. "Mom, wait here a moment. I have an idea".

"Do not worry, Tressa. I am not going anywhere," her mother quipped.

Tressa returned moments later with a large, two-handed axe she had taken from the nearby guard post. It wasn't her favoured type of weapon, but it was both very sharp and heavy, which was necessary for her idea to work. With a grunt, she lifted it, before smashing it down on the lock. She repeated the process again and again, weakening the metal of the lock with every blow. Finally, the lock broke under the assault, the great weapon cleaving it in two. "There... There we... Go," Tressa gasped while she lowered the weapon, her arms burning from the effort. She took a moment to steady herself, before casting a glance at the corridor the fairies had gone through. She took a deep breath and said: "You get to the secret exit, Mom. I need to help the others".

"Are you certain?" her mother asked. "You know that we are... Fragile, so to say".

"So are they," Tressa insisted. "In fact, I dare say they are even worse off that we are. I can help them, Mom".

Her mother sighed and said: "Very well, but be careful. I'll meet you outside".

...

The faeries followed Aisha's trail, Musa in front, as she could track the princess by the sounds she made.

"We're getting close," the black-haired musician stated as they swam down a corridor towards the castle's equivalent of a ballroom. "Get ready".

As they swam into the great hall, Bloom gasped.

The kraken looked very much like a squid, though the size of a truck and a notable V on the side. Its two black eyes stared coldly at them as it noticed their arrival. From the bottom extended eight tentacles, four big, long and muscular, and four smaller ones filled with barbs. Between all the tentacles was its mouth, a giant hole surrounded by eight beak like pieces that closed together with enough force to cut flesh and bone alike apart. One of its big tentacles was wrapped around Aisha, who at this point barely looked conscious.

"That's a big squid," Stella stated fearfully.

The kraken reacted to their presence and lashed out with one of its massive tentacles. The girls scattered to avoid being smacked.

Musa propelled herself back with a soundwave, before unleashing several blasts at the giant cephalopod, causing its soft flesh to jiggle. Clearly annoyed by this unwanted jiggling, the kraken retaliated by whipping one of its massive tentacles towards the musician. She blasted herself out of the way, as the kraken hit the wall behind her with enough force to cause visible cracks in the stone surface.

Flora tried to attack from the other side, using her magic to cause her last seeds to grow into thorn spitting flowers. The newly grown plants spat several pointy projectiles, but being underwater, they barely managed to poke the Kraken, which lashed out with one of its barbed tentacles. As she tried dodging the attack, Flora cursed her own lack of foresight in not bringing any water based plants for the mission. One of the tentacles lashed against her leg and the brunette had to suppress a scream as her leg immediately started cramping and burning with pain.

Stella swam to one side and tried blasting it with light. The kraken was robbed of its sight, but being a creature of the depths, it was fully capable of navigating without. The blonde was caught by surprise as it lashed out in her direction, smashing a tentacle against her shoulder. She was launched back and collided with a wall, her dislocated arm hanging limply by her side.

"Girls. We have a problem," Musa communicated. "If we don't get Aisha away from that thing and get her woken up quickly, her enchantment will run out. And unless we manage to develop gills before that, we'll drown".

"Alright then. Then let's get her away from that oversized calamari," Bloom stated.

"On it," Techna said, as she swam closer to the kraken, brandishing a knife she had pilfered from one of the merfolk they had fought outside. The kraken, busy lashing out after Musa and Bloom, didn't notice the scarred girl before the point of her blade dug into its tentacle. It tried to jerk the captive Aisha away, but Techna clung to the tentacle, cutting away at the kraken's limb as she desperately tried to get her friend free. Finally, she cut something important and the kraken was forced to let go of its prisoner. It jerked its body around and Techna and half the tentacle was flung off the angry cephalopod and smashed into the floor. The magenta-haired girl saw stars as she tried to recover and her eyes focused just in time to see the kraken pull back one of its tentacles, preparing to crush her. "Hello beastie," Techna said weakly.

Just as it prepared to crush her, Tressa charged it like a torpedo, swinging the massive axe. The heavy weapon dug through the soft flesh and severed the tentacle. Wounded, the great mollusc pulled back, now missing two tentacles, the stubs leaking vital fluids. It retreated into one of the corridors.

"Let's get out of here while it recovers," Tressa said as she began assisting Techna and Aisha.

"Recovers?" Bloom asked.

"Krakens possess impressive regenerative capabilities," Flora explained. "Losing tentacles like that will not delay it for long. It will be back to full strength within the hour".

"Then let's skedaddle," Stella said. "The sooner we get out of here, the better".

...

Minutes later, they breached the surface of the ocean.

Bloom took a deep breath and said: "What a wonderful feeling. I never knew I would miss air this much".

"I am almost surprised the kraken hasn't pursued us yet, considering our usual luck," Musa stated. "It should have recovered enough to fight by now".

"Valtor ordered it to guard the castle," Ligea explained. "From what I can tell, the moment we left the castle it lost all interest in us".

"Fortunately," Techna groaned. "I think I almost dislocated parts of my back".

"You think you have it bad. My arm's, like, still in pain," Stella muttered. "At least Flora could fix the dislocation".

"I would still have Ophelia look at it when we get back to Alfea if I were you," the Limphean noble stated.  
"So, what will you do now?" Tressa asked.

"Probably go back," Bloom said. "With Ligea free, I think we can leave the whole stopping Valtor business to the professionals".

"Indeed. I will go to my kingdom and message the other realms as soon as possible," Ligea promised. "Thank you so much for your assistance. I have no idea how long I would have remained his captive without your aid". She turned towards Aisha and said: "I am sorry this trip had to cost you your sight. Hopefully, Valtor's dark magic can be reversed".

"I hope so too. I miss being able to see," the princess of Tides admitted. "But at least I am not completely blind as long as I have my magic".

They heard the sound of a boat and turned to see Roy slowly direct his vessel towards them. "So, we be ready to go home, ya?" he asked.

"Yes. I think we're ready for that," Bloom said as the girls began climbing on board.


	7. Ancient History

CChapter 7: Ancient History

In the equatorial area of Sparx, close to the Shogunate of Toshi, lay the nation of Espero. A small nation with a very peaceful history, having been shielded from more aggressive neighbours by a great chain of mountains on one side, swampland on another and forest on the third. These natural defences had made the region hard to conquer and easy to defend. The great mountains, known as the Cloudscraper Peaks, were also the cause of one of Espero's most interesting features. Clouds, coming in from the ocean regions, rarely made it over the peaks and therefore the skies of Espero were clear most of the time, giving the land the hyperbolic nickname of The Country Without Clouds. This meant that rain happened only rarely and Espero instead relied mostly on the great rivers that flowed from the peaks, which swelled with melted snow every spring. The country was a popular vacation destination and was a culturally rich nation, with texts and artefacts preserved for centuries, easily allowing people to gain insight into the nation's ancient history.

On what seemed like another, rather unremarkable day, a couple of tourists from Harmony, a recently wed couple, were visiting the archives. It was a magnificent building, richly decorated and well taken care of, which housed some of the most valuable texts in the kingdom, most of which was publicly available as long as an entrance fee was paid.

"Hey. Are the archives open today?" the man asked as he went up to the guard by the door.

"Sure is," the guard replied. "Though we do close at three today, so you'll only have about two hours, tops".

The man looked questioningly at his wife.

"We might as well. Otherwise we won't have the time before we have to go home," she replied.

"Well, let's check the price first," the man argued.

"It's not expensive, just a little payment to help keep the place running," the guard said. "And you get a discount the more you buy, so for the two of you, you'll only have to pay..."

The discussion was interrupted by a tear between worlds being ripped open down the stone steps of the great building. Through it strode Valtor, followed by the Usurpers. "Ah, Espero," he stated as he walked up the steps. "Always liked this place. It has quite the charm".

"It's okay. Can be quite boring though," Icy stated. "Been here a couple of times with my family".

"Ah, I see the place is open. Most excellent," Valtor said as he marched up to the front door, where the guard and couple stared at him.

"Who-who are you-you?" the guard stammered. There was something about the suddenly appeared magi that made part of his brain scream at him to run.

"Ah, sorry, how rude of me. I have still not quite gotten used to how forgotten I've become," Valtor said apologetically. "I am Valtor and I have come to pay your archives a visit. I hear you have some quite interesting documents in storage".

The guard fought the wave of panic as he realised who he was talking too. He had heard that the feared sorcerer had escaped, which he had found rather frightening, and now the guy was standing right in front of him. Accompanied by the Usurpers, who had also become quite infamous. "Do-don't move," he stammered as he pulled his gun out. "You-you are un-under arre-arrest".

The couple slowly inched away, afraid of being caught in the middle of a fight.

Valtor slowly shook his head and said: "Really now, let's not make this difficult. There is no way you can actually prevent me from entering, so I'd advise that you stop trying to interfere. It will save you from a lot of very unnecessary pain".

The guard froze for a second. Then he slowly raised his walkie-talkie, speaking into it: "Thi-this is se-security guard Hiro Koizumi, in need of im-immediate assi..."

Valtor sighed and clutched his hands. Hiro froze has he felt a strange pressure in his arms. Then Valtor made a sharp movement with both of his arms and Hiro screamed as both his arms broke with an audible crack, causing him to drop his weapon and walkie-talkie. He collapsed on the floor, sobbing in pain, as Valtor passed him with a: "I don't know what they pay you, but I am sure it isn't enough". He opened the great doors of the archives and strode in.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention for a moment!" he called, causing all the staff, visitors and guards to turn towards him. "I am Valtor and I am here to acquire some documents of great interest to me. If you stay calm and don't try to play hero, or heroine as the case may be, I will not hurt you. Do we have an understanding?"

"DON'T MOVE!" one of the guards yelled as he pulled out his sidearm, along with four other guards, while the visitors and staff ducked for cover.

"Well, they are a courageous lot," Valtor commented, before ordering: "Deal with them. And remember, no deaths".

Icy and Stormy rushed forward, protected by a massive shield of ice conjured by the white-haired witch. The guards started firing, but their bullets buried themselves in the frozen layers of the shield without penetrating. As they rushed forward, Stormy fired a bolt of lightning that launched one of the guards back, knocking her into a bookcase behind her. Icy turned towards another, using her mental power to rob him of dedication. As he stopped trying to shoot them, he was easily frozen to a nearby walls by her ice.

Up above them on the second floor, a guard was taking aim by the railing. However, before she could shoot, Darcy manifested out of the ground behind her and stabbed her in both arms simultaneously.

Back on the ground, Stormy pelted two guards with books hurled by the wind. Icy got ready to freeze them when she suddenly felt a sharp crack on her head and she stumbled to the floor. She turned in a daze and saw that a guard had snuck up behind her and pistol-whipped her.

"Lay still, or I will..." he tried to order her, but he suddenly stopped, dropping his gun as he began clutching his throat while gasping for air. Valtor approached the man from behind, two fingers pinched as he constricted the guard's throat.

"Take a break. You've earned it," the dandy sorcerer commented as he placed a hand on the guard's head and forced him to fall asleep. Valtor then looked around, judging the situation. "I've noticed something," he stated. "Something that was also very much the case when you fought Bloom and her friends. Whenever anybody manages to close the distance, both you and Stormy are quite helpless".

"They have no formal training in weaponry or close combat in general," Darcy said as she manifested on the ground floor. "I have offered to train Icy, but she says that it is beneath her".

"Tsk, tsk, that is a most foolish attitude," the well-dressed magi said a bit disappointed. "Refusing tools out of stubborn pride. You should have learned by now that this only results in you being more at risk". He looked at the guard he had knocked out. "In fact, had it not been for my assistance, this non-magical guard armed with nothing but a gun would have outmatched you".

Icy didn't respond, instead just staring a bit embarrassed at the floor.

"Darcy, I want you to train both Stormy and Icy," Valtor finally ordered. "This is a dangerous weakness that must be corrected post-haste".

"I agree," Darcy said.

"Now then, we must hurry before reinforcements show up," the sorcerer continued. "Would get in the way of our, if you will, pay day if we were to be gunned down by a horde of law enforcers. I want you three to scour the place for newspapers and any books that can help us get a grasp of the history of Sparx over the last seventeen years. I'll go to the restricted wing. Meet me there when you are finished".

...

The girls finally managed to arrive back to Alfea three days after leaving the school, which meant that they had missed one day of classes. After saying goodbye to the queen, Roy had brought them to a nearby island were people were being transported off world due to risk of attacks from Valtor's forces. This had gotten them to one of the inter-dimensional airports from where they, after half a day of waiting, could finally book a flight to Magix. Then they just had to take the bus to get to Alfea. This journey back, combined with everything else they had been through, resulted in it being a very tired and utterly drained bunch of girls that finally set foot in the courtyard.

"Do you think they noticed we were gone?" Techna groggily asked.  
"Guaranteed. We'll, like, deal with that later. I need some beauty sleep," Stella commented.

"I'm afraid that will have to wait," a strict voice said and the girls turned to see Griselda walking up to them with the sternest possible expression.  
"Well, we're done for. Nice knowing you all," Musa quipped.

"There is absolutely nothing funny about any of this," Griselda said. "You will be giving both me and the headmistress an explanation for where you have been. We have been worried sick".

"Griselda, before that, Aisha needs help," Bloom pleaded and helped her brunette friend to the deputy headmistress.

It took but a glance at the girl's faded eyes for Griselda to see what had happened. "Oh dear," she said, her expression softening. "Come with me".

The girls were escorted to Faragonda's office, were both Wizgiz and Ophelia were called in to take a look at the blinded girl.

"What exactly happened?" Ophelia asked as she used a miniature flashlight to test for reactions.  
"Valtor happened," Bloom said bluntly.

The four adults in the room froze and turned to stare at them.

"Come again, lassie," Wizgiz stated surprised.

"You went off to..." Faragonda began flabbergasted. "You tried to... What... That is..." She took a deep breath. "Where did this happen?"

"On Andros. Near the Omega Portal to be precise," Aisha said matter-of-factly.

"What in the name of the Great Dragon caused you to think that even getting close to that area would be a good idea?" Faragonda asked. "You could have died or become one of his puppets. I know you girls have gone off before, but I am shocked and disappointed to see all of you show such a disregard for common sense".

"But Daphne said that she had a plan," Techna said defensively. "Just turned out giving Valtor her mask didn't work".

"Daphne asked you to go?" Griselda asked surprised.

"Of course she would," Faragonda groaned. "I should have known. I'll need to talk with her. Hopefully I'll be able to contact her by Lake Roccaluce". She started pacing. "Foolish. Of her and of you. You risked so much by pulling this stunt".

"If it is any consolation, we did successfully free Queen Ligea of Jezero," Flora said. "So the journey has not by any stretch been wasted".

"Still, ye should have told us rather than jest running off," Wizgiz said as he inspected Aisha. "We have been worried".

"Well, wouldn't you just have locked us up and kept us under guard all day long to prevent us?" Musa asked.

"Of course we would stop you. We are responsible for all of you," Faragonda said. "I know that the events of the previous years have put the lot of you at risk multiple times. But that does not mean you have the right to just run off like that". She sighed. "Keefe, can Aisha be cured?"

"Yes, but not right now," the leprechaun said. "The spell is remarkably similar to the one that had cursed Stella. I will need time to unravel the layers of spells. Will probably need Palladium and Avalon to assist".

"Wait, like Stella's transformation," Bloom repeated. "Then that settles it. Valtor was responsible for the Princess Ball fiasco. I saw him there mere hours before the incident".

"That is most unfortunate," Faragonda stated. "But it does makes sense. It also explains Radius' recent decisions".

"Wait, what now?" Stella asked nervously.

"Stella, I'm afraid I have bad news," Faragonda continued. "Radius has officially been married to Countess Cassandra and in the process, he has announced that Chimera Pollon will be the heir, not you. She has even been handed the Sceptre of Solaria".

"That's why is disappeared in the middle of our excursion," Musa stated. "They recalled it so they could hand it to her".

"Great. Just what that immature brat needed," Techna commented annoyed. "Power".

"That's... That's horrible," Stella said shocked. "We'll need to get to Solaria immediately and...

"NO, YOU WILL NOT!" Faragonda stated loudly, causing the girls to jump. The headmistress took a moment to breathe, before she continued. "Girls, you cannot run off and try to solve everything yourselves. And furthermore, the fact that you were staying away from classes without due cause cannot go unpunished. While I am willing to agree that there are some mitigating circumstances due to Dahpne's role and the hardship that you have already been through, I will not reward you for breaking the rules. As punishment, all of you will be spending your free time helping Concorda, sorting all the new books we've bought. This punishment will begin in two days, which should give you some time to rest, and it will last until the job is finished. And as for you, Bloom, as your legal guardian I must be very strict when you needlessly put your life in danger". She raised a hand and Bloom felt a slight tingling of magical power envelop her. "For the next month, you will find that no TV will show anything but the news and the weather in our presence," she stated. "Now, you are all dismissed. Griselda, I'll be gone for the next couple of hours. I need to have a serious discussion with Daphne about this, if I can find her".

As the girls left the room, Stella said: "I tots cannot believe this. Valtor has gotten me disowned and handed everything to that horrid girl".

"Nothing we can do about that now, Suntop," Techna stated. "For now, let's just be grateful that the punishment wasn't worse".

"Speak for yourself. I'm going to be missing out on some shows I've grown quite fond of," Bloom commented.

...

The next day, Bloom was heading out into the courtyard after classes, sketchbook tugged under her arm. She sat down by the fountain and found a pencil, when she suddenly heard a familiar voice ask: "Hey, Bloom. How's it going?"

"Oh, hi Sky," Bloom greeted the blond prince as he sat down beside her. "It's been quite hectic lately".

"Because of the trip to Andros?" he asked.

"Oh, you've already heard about that," the redhead stated. "Yeah, that was quite the experience. I would have told you about our plans , but Flora was certain you would have tried to stop us".

"Well, I personally think you did the right thing," Sky said. "Going off to try to end this as quickly as possible. Must have taken a lot of courage". He coughed and continued with: "But yeah, pretty sure Brandon would have disapproved. Got quite the earful when I told him I thought it was a good idea".

"I can just imagine the look on his face," Bloom said and giggled. "Anyway, so did you just come by to visit? Not that I mind of course".  
"Heh, actually, there is more to it than that," Sky admitted. "Unity Day is coming up on Eraklion in about a month. Ever heard of it?"

"Afraid not," the Dominian princess replied.

"Understandable. There are a lot of special days with so many realms and whatnot," Sky said. "I can't keep track of them all either. Can barely keep track of the ones from my own kingdom. Anyway, Unity Day is a uniquely Eraklian holiday were we celebrate the founding of the kingdom. So it's really ancient history we're talking about. It all happened 'bout a thousand years or so ago, when four small kingdoms entered into an alliance, intermarried a lot and then united their respective kingdoms into one single kingdom, which became Eraklion. It's tradition that the royals throw a party to celebrate the occasion. And as crown prince, well, I have quite some authority, which means I can invite a lot of people. So, I'd like to invite you and all of your friends".

"That sounds lovely," Bloom said. "But I'll have to ask for permission first. Faragonda has saddled me and the others with quite the task as punishment and I'm not sure how long it will take".

"I know that feeling. I've once been sentenced to cleaning the dragon stables," Sky said and shuddered. "I can still remember that smell".

"So I want to go, but I don't know if I can. I'll have to ask for permission," Bloom concluded.  
"Fair enough. Let's hope for the best," Sky said. "By the way, the rumour mill has been going again now that we've been seeing each other some more".

"Oh great. There's one thing I haven't been missing on my vacation," the redhead muttered annoyed. "What are they saying now?"

"Well, lots of stuff," Sky said. "I can't keep up with it all. But if you can come to the party, I think it would be best if we used the occasion to officially announce that we are dating again".

"Great, more announcements," the redhead commented annoyed. "I've already had to make a public statement or two. Avalon says it helps keep my public image under control, but I've already flubbed a couple of things. I hate it".

"It is a rather annoying necessity I'll admit," the blond agreed. "But we kinda need to put a lid on some of these things. I mean, it won't completely stop all the talking, but it will probably cut out some of the more bogus speculations".

"Like?" Bloom asked.  
"Like you already being pregnant with my child," the Eraklian prince stated. "Or that you are my long lost sister. Who's pregnant with my child".

Bloom groaned and buried her head in her hands.

"Yeah, I know. I know," Sky said comfortingly as he patted her on the back.

...

Valtor sat in a chair with the golden butterfly mask in hand, contemplating the item as time passed by. Behind him on a table were spread out several ancient scrolls and documents he had taken from the archives on Espero, as well as several news articles both old and new. The dandy magi was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice when the three witches entered, despite the groaning from Icy and Stormy. Both had gotten several bruises and Icy was forced to hobble from a hit she had taken to her leg. The two of them dumped into a couple of chairs, relieved to finally be able to sit down.

"So, what have the two of you learned today?" Darcy asked as she also found a chair to sit in.

"That you have a mean left hook," Stormy groaned as she buried her head in her arms.

"Seriously, are you sure you wanted to train us and didn't just look for an excuse to beat us up?" Icy asked.

"Trust me. I am gentle compared to my instructors," the dirty-blond responded. "At least you don't have to fear me killing you".

The two others were silent for a moment. "What?" Stormy asked surprised.

"Well, the instructors felt that the best way to teach us was to demonstrate the consequences of failure," Darcy explained. "So if we got wounded during training, we would often have to patch up our own wounds before a healer was brought in. And when we fought each other, well, it was supposedly to be non-lethal but accidents happened".

"Accidents or 'accidents'?" Maria asked.

"Well, it was an excellent opportunity to get rid of people who were in your way somehow," Darcy responded.

"And have you ever done that?" Icy asked.

Darcy didn't respond, instead just taking a sip of water.

"Okay, you're creeping me out again," Stormy said and shuddered.

"Change of subject. Does anyone know when Valtor picked that mask up?" Darcy asked as she shifted her attention. "I don't think I've seen him with it until recently".

"Let's find out. Hey, Valtor. Valtor!" Icy called.

"Huh, what?" the sorcerer asked as his attention returned to reality. "Sorry, I was just contemplating some old memories. What is it?"

"Where did you get that mask?" the white-haired witch asked.

"This thing? Bloom brought it," Valtor replied as he held up the mask. "She was convinced it would somehow stop me. She was wrong". He got up from the chair and gently placed the mask on a shelf.

"Then why do you seem so... Well, reserved?" Stormy asked. "The fairies did nothing that came even close to delaying you and we succesfully got the scrolls from Espero".

Valtor was silent for a moment. Then he said: "You are wrong. They did manage to interfere, despite my attempts at hobbling them. Bloom and her friends managed to actually free the queen of Jezero. According to my scouts, she is safe and secure in the parts of Jezero I don't have any control over".

"I told you that you should have done more to stop them," Icy commented. "They will not stop until they've foiled everything you've worked for. Trust me," she added bitterly. "I know". She briefly glared at Darcy.

"I have only spared them at points where cooperation was more beneficial than conflict," the dirty-blond argued. "Nevertheless, I will actually agree. Though not professionally trained, they are getting quite experienced. No doubt they will attempt to interfere again".

"And without the queen, we will soon be getting a lot of unwelcome visits again," Valtor mumbled. "Especially with the way people have been lining up. We could be looking at an all out invasion". He rubbed his chins as he studied some of the newspapers. "We need to strengthen our position".

"Speaking of strengthening, what was the point of gathering those old scrolls?" Stormy asked.  
"They are part of ancient studies into the nature of dragonflames and dragonshades," Valtor explained. "Research into them nowadays is illegal in many realms due to how dangerous it can be, but such was not always the case. I studied Espero's ancient history and they were once very much into exploring the untapped possibilities of dragonshades and dragonflames, though they never did manage to find out much about the latter, since they didn't have a lot of artefacts or people with flames inside of them. But that all ended a century or so ago. Mostly because this research did come at the cost of a couple of dragonshades, permanently rendering them unusable. And the experiments also ended up killing some people," he added. "But before the research was cancelled, they did manage to find out some fascinating things. See, dragonshades are like knacks and thus also have peripheral knacks. These techniques allow wielders of the shades to divide their focus and power in order to tap into these peripheral knacks, vastly expanding the applications". He held out his hand and an illusionary double of himself appeared. "With my improved control of light, I have tapped into the realm of illusions," he said as he allowed the illusionary doppelgänger to dissolve into glittering sparkles. "And when I manage to find and absorb even more dragonshades, it will also allow me to expand on them". He smirked. "Which means that when I have enough dragonshades, there won't be a single part of the multiverse that I cannot control".

"Wow," Icy said impressed.

"But that is for the future," the dandy sorcerer stated. "For now, we must prepare. We must expand our base of power and influence, and at the same time rob it from our enemies". He scanned some of the newspapers and said: "And I think I have found the weak link I need". He adjusted his jacket and turned, before opening a dimensional gate.

"Where are you going?" Darcy asked.

"To Eraklyon," Valtor replied as he walked through the rift. "I'll make sure that their upcoming Unity Day will be one to remember".

...

At Alfea, there was a great and nervous commotion as the students gathered in the great hall. The teachers had announced, both over the intercom in the morning and during classes, that there would be an extraordinary meeting scheduled due to recent events.

"What do you think the recent events they want to talk about are?" Nova asked as she stopped up besides Stella.

"Beats me. I cannot think of anything that's happened recently that would, like, seriously affect the school," Stella said.

"What about Valtor?" Musa, who stood beside her, asked.

"He's on Andros," the blonde replied with a shrug.

"And he was also on Solaria," the black-haired musician corrected her.

"Oh. Right. I tots forgot about that for a sec," Stella admitted sheepishly.

"Everyone, please quiet down," Faragonda asked as she stood in front of them with the assembled faculty. "As many of you know, the notorious and dangerous criminal Valtor has escaped imprisonment on planet Omega. While much about what he has done is still only rumours and remains unconfirmed, it has been announced that little over twenty-four hours ago, Valtor and his cronies attacked the country of Espero".

Many of the students gasped.

"That's where my mother's from," Musa stated. "What would Valtor want with that place?"

"Dunno. Doubt he was just there for a vacation," Nova commented.

"While what he has taken has so far not been revealed to the public, we can confirm he stole several valuable objects that can only be dangerous in his hands," Faragonda continued. "His ability to cross dimensions on his own taken into consideration, it has been decided that Alfea's security must be enhanced until such a time that Valtor has been apprehended again. That means every time any of you wish to leave the school, you must find a teacher to tell, who will then let you out through the empowered barricade that has been raised around the school. I apologise for any inconvenience this might cause, but Alfea is home to several objects that could be of interest to Valtor and we'd rather inconvenience you than put you at risk. I hope you understand why we find this necessary. Thank you, that was all".

"Well, I guess this means she doesn't have to worry about us running away again," Musa commented. "Not with an empowered barricade that only teachers can open around the school".

"So what do you two think he took from Espero?" Nova asked.

"Could be any number of things," Stella said with a shrug. "But I, like, believe it wholeheartedly when she says it will be dangerous in his hands". She paused and said: "Then again, I'd tots believe that a teaspoon would be dangerous in that madman's hands".

...

"That's a lot of books," Stella stated as she stared into the open boxes.

"Your power of observation is astounding," Musa snarked, causing the blonde to glare at her.

The six girls had been gathered in the restricted library, where several giant boxes filled with newly bought books now stood.

"Indeed. The damages that the library had sustained demanded quite the restocking," Griselda commented. "Concorda, I leave them in you and your assistant's capable hands". With those words, the deputy headmistress left.

"So the sorting system is the same as the main school library," the blond pixie started explaining. "Except these books have yet to be enchanted and could therefore never find their own place. Ensuring that they can is a far greater task that I will eventually get done. Any questions?"

"Yes," Aisha said, holding up a hand. "What can I do?"

"Good question. I figure you could help my assistant unpack the books," Concorda said, gesturing to the pixie seahorse. "Just place the books on the big table once you've unpacked them".

"The one with the... flowerpot on?" Aisha slowly asked as she tried to analyse her environment.

"Yes. Anything else?" Concorda patiently asked.

"Why have you only now gotten around to replacing these books?" Bloom asked. "I mean, considering that I... Or rather, Darkar... Anyway, considering they were ruined before the end of the last school year".

"Do you expect books about the intricacies of mental domination to be handed out like candy?" the snooty seahorse asked.

"Now, now, be nice. To answer your question, Bloom, these books are not that easy to acquire," Concorda began explaining. "Some of the information in them can be quite dangerous. So there has to be permits in order. Some of them are from other dimensions, which just means even more red tape and regulations. Thing is, we got them pretty quickly due to Alfea's spotless reputation and Griselda's tireless efforts with the paperwork. Normally, it wouldn't even have been certain that we could have gotten them all within the first year".

"I see. Makes sense," the redhead agreed.

"Now then, anything else?" Concorda asked. "Alright then, let us get started. The quicker we get done, the quicker you will get your free time back".

Aisha began helping the pixies unpack, while the other girls began carting around wagons of books to the different floors of the library.

As Bloom stood and sorted some encyclopaedias, Stella came up to her and asked: "So, I heard Griselda said you could go to Eraklyon even if we aren't done with the libriary by then. So are you looking forward to Unity Day?"

"I'm actually sorta nervous," the redhead admitted. "He wants to make the fact that we are dating official".

"Why are you nervous about that? You're not embarrassed to be seen dating him again now are you?" the blonde teased her.

"Of course not," Bloom replied with a bit of a blush. "But last time I stood in front of the press and announced things, it didn't... Well, I imagine you've already seen how it went".

"Come on, give yourself some credit. You were tots adorable up there," Stella continued. "And I loved you way of describing the hardship and tough experiences you've gone through these last couple of years".

"Please don't remind me," Bloom begged.

"I mean, calling it a strawberry of horror. That's totally original," Stella said as a groaning Bloom bashed her forehead against the bookshelf.

"I'm going to be a laughingstock," came the redhead's muffled voice.

"Now, now, you just need to prepare yourself," Stella replied. "Dress confidently, prepare some standard answers and rehearse a standard speech a couple of times. Remember, you're in control, not the journalists".

"I'll try," the Dominian princess said as she pulled her face away from the books. "But honestly, I'd rather Sky just handled it".

"Oh, ehm," Stella said as she began twirling a lock of her hair. "See, I kinda know from Brandon that... Well... You said you were bad. Sky's tots worse. Totally way worse. I mean, when he was asked about his opinion on the Usurper Crisis, he said that they had stood on the edge of the abyss but had now fortunately taken a step forward. The only reason I can think of that Brandon didn't hit him was that it was on live TV. I think he wants to make the announcement with you because he's also really nervous".

"Great. We'll be the perfect couple," Bloom replied sarcastically. "Perfectly awkward, clumsy and both inserting our feet into our mouths with gusto".

...

The staff that served the royal family of Eraklyon was eagerly exchanging news. Though the family did try to keep things private as much as possible, it was simply impossible to keep everything secret with such a staff. Luckily, the staff were professionals and most would never dream of revealing anything to the press. But between each other, they eagerly exchanged news and gossip, the newest of which was that the crown prince would be officially announcing his relationship with the crown princess of Domino. These were of course happy news, which delighted the staff. Much better that what had circulated up until then. Rumours and news about a certain guest that had once been temporarily staying, but had now become an almost permanent fixture of the castle's daily life.

In the guest room she had occupied for over half a year, Diaspro sat by the mirror and cried. She had held out hope for so long, prayed that it was nothing but misunderstandings and mistakes. But she had received a letter from Isis. As she sobbed into her hands, she allowed herself to peek at the impersonal notice she had received.

"To Diaspro Tzeitel," it began. "We would have thought that we had made it clear before, but we now understand that hasn't been the case. Due to your failure in courting Crown Prince Sky Herakles of Eraklyon and failure at managing the region of Aset, you have become an embarrassment for and a strain upon your family. We have concluded that it is in everyone's best interest that you do not return. If you still wish to serve our interest, we advice that you find somebody of worth and marry, so that everything we have invested in you will at least not be a complete waste". The letter wasn't signed.

Seeing it again caused the blonde to break into sobs again, her mascara running in thick, black rivers down her cheeks.

"It is rather tragic," a voice said and Diaspro gasped as she realised she was not alone.

"Who... Who's there?" she asked as she turned around, trying to cover her red and tear-streaked face hidden with her arm. "Go away. I-I'm not in the mood for visitors".

"Understandable," the voice continued and Diaspro eyed its source. A well-dressed man stood in the corner, observing her. She was quite surprised to see someone in the room with her. She thought she had locked the door to avoid being seen like this.

"Get-get out!" she angrily ordered. "I'm not see-seeing any-anybody today, so LEAVE!"

"Alright. I did not mean to impose," the man said as he walked towards the door. He stopped before the exit and asked: "But before I leave, do you have any interest in this?" He held an envelope between two gloved fingers.

"Why would I?" Diaspro asked, looking away. She knew the man had probably already seen how she looked, but she did what she could to preserve her dignity.

"Well, it is a letter from your family," the man said. "To the king, mind you. Still, it's about you".

"It... It is?" Diaspro asked timidly.

"Yes. Just listen," the well-dressed man said as he magically opened the envelope and extracted the letter. "Great King Erendor Herakles of Eraklyon. Due to various circumstances, we cannot take Diaspro back at this time. Instead, we were hoping you would take her in, perhaps even as a concubine. After all, for all her failings, Diaspro has still gotten some of the best training available and she is in her most fertile years as of now. We hope that you will consider this". The man made a face and said: "And I must honestly say that having read that, I feel like I need to take a bath".

Diaspro stared for a few seconds. Then she broke into howling sobs as she buried her hands in her arms.  
"Now, now," the man said soothingly as he threw the letter away. "Don't be sad. You are better off without them".

"I'm useless," the distraught noble wailed. "Everything's gone wrong. Ev-ev-everything". Snot, mascara and tears flowed freely into the sleeves of her expensive clothes.

"There, there," the man said comfortingly as he handed her a handkerchief. "Take a deep breath now and tell me what ails you". He paused for a second. "Besides the fact that your family is thoroughly despicable in their treatment of you".

"I was supposed to marry Sky," she said, after her sobbing had calmed somewhat. "I've been trained for years towards being the perfect wife for him. And at the last moment, he throws me out. For that... That Bloom girl".

"It's understandable that would hurt your feelings," the well-dressed magi offered. "But isn't this Bloom the better match? Isn't she the heir to Domino?"

"She's selfish," Diaspro grumbled. "She wouldn't even be satisfied being Sky's concubine. She would not even let me be one. And she's not even that great a match". She took a deep breath. "It's not fair. Ever since she showed up, my life has fallen apart". She was silent for a moment, before quietly saying: "I don't know what to do anymore".

"And why is she not a great match?" the man asked inquisitively.

The noble blew her nose and asked: "Have you read the transcript of her last announcement to the press? She barely knew how to put one word after the other. Without that... What was his name? Avalon, yes, without Avalon helping her, I don't think she would even have managed what little she did accomplish".

"Well, true, but she's only now becoming part of high society, right?" the man asked. "Isn't it understandable that she would be new to it all?"

"But you can't just waltz into being a noble," Diaspro argued. "It's something you need to learn from childhood. Nobility is not a hobby, it's a lifetime commitment, with a lot of responsibilities". She stared a bit sadly at the table. "It's going to crush her," she finally said. "She's so unprepared for it all".

"Well then, I think I have the perfect solution," the man offered. "I can help give you both what you need".

Diaspro glared sceptically at him, before asking: "What's your name? I don't think I've seen you around before".

"Call me Caleb," the man replied. "I've only recently arrived here on Eraklyon. Truth is, I'm only here to help with the upcoming Unity Day festivities. That being said, I couldn't help but overhear some things from the staff and I felt I had to see if I could help. And I can".

"How?" Diaspro asked.

"Truth is, Sky is young and emotional. He sees Bloom as this amazing girl because he's in love," Caleb explained. "Now, that is not something we can blame him for. After all, to love is but to be mortal. But what he needs is a little dose of reality to help him see how things really are. A splash of cold water, metaphorically speaking. It will help him see how his relationship with Bloom should be rather than how he wishes it could be". Caleb smirked. "And think about it. You will be doing both of them a favour. They're cruising towards very hard times and dragging you through the mud in the process. It's better for all three of you if Sky gets some sense in his head. And as his perfect wife, isn't it your job to help him? For his and Bloom's sake?"

"Yes. Yes I should," Diaspro agreed, her voice slowly filling with determination. "But how can I do that?"

Caleb smiled as he told her: "Do not worry. I have a plan".

...

Two weeks after having started their daunting task, the girls finally managed to finish sorting the books. Having gotten confirmation from Concorda that everything was as it should be, Griselda had deemed their punishment over, where after she had said that the headmistress would like to talk with them. They had then promptly been escorted to Faragonda's office where they found the headmistress staring out the great windows with a look of deep contemplation.

"Ah, Bloom," she began as she turned towards them. "I should probably inform you that I have tried to contact Daphne several times these past days".

"And?" the redhead asked.

"Maybe she just doesn't respond to me, but I could not find her," Faragonda replied. "And Aisha, I have been in contact with your parents. While I do not say this to frighten you, I must inform you that I was barely able to convince them to let you stay. They seemed convinced that it was your new environment that was tempting you into doing such foolish things. And I am using their words here".

"I understand their concern, but as heir to Tides I must at times put the kingdom ahead of myself," Aisha stated.

"I figured as much," the elderly fairy sighed. "Listen girls, these past two years, you have successfully managed to involve yourself in numerous dangerous outings".

"Indeed. It has been quite taxing," Flora said.

"But really fun," Techna interjected.  
"Yes. Some of you seem to have developed a taste for adventure," the fairy headmistress continued. "Others of you don't seek it out, but you have proved you would not hesitate to risk your lives if given due cause". She sighed. "As my staff has been keen to remind me, with good reason, I cannot keep you safe forever. You are all young adults and you will soon be completely free to do as you will without some kooky old lady telling you what to do". This comment earned her a couple of muted giggles. "But before that, I'd like to share some of my experiences. Have any of you ever heard of the Company of Light?"

The girls exchanged glances.

"I think I heard a little about them in history classes," Musa said as she struggled to remember.

"Yeah, a militia group... Or something" Stella added.

"The Company of Light could barely be called a militia group," Faragonda wryly commented. "I think only Saladin and Oritel had any real military training". She paused for a moment, before quietly saying to herself: "It seems like such ancient history now". Then she cleared her throat and said: "The Company of Light was a rather dramatically named group of people from across the worlds who joined together in order to oppose the Ancestral Witches and all who served them. Griselda and I were members of it back when it was active, as were Griffin and Saladin".

"Wow," Techna said. "So you travelled around the worlds and kicked ass?"

"That was the intent. We united our resources, got some backing from some nobles interested in stopping the Ancestral Witches and set out. What started out as this glamorous campaign turned out quite different than we imagined". She sighed. "I've lost a lot of friends. Seen them die horribly before me. It's taken a lot out of me". She stared at her hand. "It's why I look so old, girls. I am spent. My experiences have scarred my soul and aged me. Same with Saladin. We've seen so much and been through so much that we have, to a certain degree, become weary. Our bodies have come to reflect that". She focused on the girls. "We thought that we alone could do what so many professionals could not. But it cost a lot of blood, sweat and tears. But do not get me wrong. If I was given the choice again, I would still fight. But back then I had all kinds of romantic ideals, whereas reality can be quite grim. I want to warn you that such things can be quite costly, both for yourself and others. Sacrifices will be demanded. And do not think nothing good can come of it. We did a lot of great things together. I have forged friendships that will last until the day I die. I have saved lives, mended alliances and cast down those who would oppress others. But it all came at a heavy price".

"Some heavier than others," Griselda commented. "It forever tore my family apart, but to be honest, that was no great loss. My parents were eager supporters of the Ancestrals' philosophy of the superiority of witches. I disagreed and helped get them jailed for financially supporting their agenda".

"I guess they didn't approve of you becoming a fairy then?" Musa said.

"Miss Xenophon, wherever did you get the impression that I was a fairy?" Griselda asked.

"Wait... But you're a teacher here at Alfea," the black-haired musician said confused.

"And I don't teach fairy magic. I teach combat magic," Griselda replied while adjusting her glasses. "I happen to be a witch, but unlike my parents, I do not think that makes me superior".

"Wait, you said Oritel? Isn't that my father's name?" Bloom asked. "That is, my biological father".

"Indeed. Both your parents were members of the Company and invested a lot of resources in us," Faragonda replied. "We owe a lot to them".

"So do you know what happened to them?" Bloom asked. "Because it's been kinda vague".

"Sadly, I do not," the headmistress replied. "After Valtor cast his spell over Domino, Oritel and Miriam split off to stop the Ancestrals while we went off to find Valtor. Neither they nor the Ancestral Witches were ever seen again. We did find Valtor however, spent and drained from casting the spell. Only reason we could even capture him". Faragonda's expression became serious again as she said: "I know you're interested in stopping him now that he's free again. You would not have gone to Andros if you didn't desire to do so. But I beg of you, please consider this really carefully. In the end, if you choose to try to fight him, there is precious little I can do to stop you short of imprisoning you, which I really do not have the authority to do. But Valtor is a powerful foe who should not be underestimated. Even if you managed to free the queen of Jezero, you can be certain that he has already planned how to recover from that. And he will not tolerate you, or anyone else, standing in his way".

The girls exchanged looks, before they looked at Stella and Aisha, the two of them who'd already had a taste of what happened to Valtor's enemies.


	8. Diaspro's Disservice

Chapter 8: Diaspro's Disservice

Two months later, Bloom found herself leaving the fall weather of Alfea in favour of the winter weather of Eraklyon on board a Red Fountain owl. Sky had been allowed to borrow one for the weekend and he had made sure to bring everyone he could along.

"So, excited?" Riven asked Bloom.

"Well, yes. And nervous. Mostly nervous," the redhead admitted.

"Well, if you feel the pressure getting to you, just let Sky take over for a while," the magenta-haired soldier offered. "Whatever he comes up with is sure to make you look like a political mastermind in comparison".

"What was that, Riven? It sounded like you said you wanted to see a gibbet from the inside," Sky commented loudly. "You're in luck, we have a couple of antiques in storage. I'll be quite willing to bring one out just for you".

"It's going to be fine," Stella insisted as she put a comforting hand on red redhead's shoulder. "Just keep it simple and never be afraid to say no. The best thing you can do is keep control of the situation".

"Just think of the press as a horde of inquisitive kinder-gardeners," Brandon suggested. "That's how I survive it".

"Thanks for the help," Bloom said with a faint smile. "But to be perfectly honest, I am also kind of nervous about meeting your parents again, Sky".

"What, because they'd rather have seen me getting hitched with Diaspro?" Sky asked. "Don't mind them. They mean it well and it was never anything personal. They can just be a bit... Well, old-fashioned, but isn't that parents in a nutshell?"

"So they say," Riven commented.

"Engines are done charging, so we're ready for a jump," Timmy reported.

"Alright everybody. Seatbelts on," Sky advised. "Let's go to Eraklyon". There was a bright, multi-coloured flash as the ship tore through dimensional matter and was ejected far above the surface of Sparx.

"You know, without feeling like water going down the drain I actually have time to admire how beautiful it looks between dimensions," Bloom commented as they began their descend. "I almost wish we could stay there for just a little longer".

"Agreed. It's like a high-speed rave," Techna suggested.

"Or a world of rainbows," Mirta said.

As they approached the kingdom, they could see beautiful lights explode through the crisp and cold air.

"Is that fireworks?" Aisha stated as she turned her head in the direction of the display.

"You can see again?" Riven asked.

"No, sadly not," the brunette replied. "Wizgiz, Palladium and Avalon are still working on restoring my sight. So far, they've only fixed my eyesight enough to allow me to discern light. To a degree, I can see where it's coming from and how intense it is, but that's about it".  
"That is unfortunate, but I'm happy to hear that they are making progress," Timmy said supportively. "I am sure they will get it completely fixed eventually".

Brandon held up a hand, requesting silence, as he received a message over the radio. "This is Brandon Hauser, squire of Crown Prince Sky Herakles. Confirmation code seven-five-three-zero-zero," he said. "Requesting permission to land". He paused. "Thank you and have a good day. Alright, Sky, we're landing over by the Labyrinth of Flowers, right next to the entrance. Premium landing spot".

"Well, of course. Being prince is supposed to have some perks," Sky said as he directed the ship. Five minutes later, they had safely landed.

The girls and boys took a moment to stretch their limbs and breathe in the cool evening air as they stepped out on the snow-covered ground.

"Well, I have to go for now," Sky said. "I have to finish planning a few things with my parents before we kick everything into gear, so I'll let Brandon show you around and such".

"Nice. Leaving the guests you've invited for your squire to handle," the brunette soldier said dryly. "Should I also dance with your girlfriend while I'm at it?"

"Ehm, well, we're actually not... You know..." Bloom said, twirling a lock of red hair while blushing harder and harder. "I mean... You know... Nothing wrong with... You know".

"Yes... I agree... I mean, it's just... You know," Sky added. "Correctly and specifically... I mean... It is rather..."

"Dragon's scaly ass, how do you two intend to rule anything when you can't even form coherent sentences?" Musa asked exasperated.

"Sky, just go do your thing," Brandon sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Right. The thing I should do. I'll do it. Now," Sky stated. Five seconds of awkward silence passed before he turned around and left.

"I'm impressed. You're almost as red in the face as when I walked in on Pumpkin nibbling on Flowergirl," Techna commented with a grin, instantly causing Mirta to blush a shade of red that matched her hair. Then a massive snowball suddenly hit the side of the scarred girl's face. "Okay, who threw that?" she asked as she turned around, while wiping the frozen substance off. Everybody just shrugged as the magenta-haired girl tried to figure out who the guilty party was. "Tricky, eh," the magenta-haired girl finally said with an impressed smirk. "Alright, but I'm keeping an eye on all of you".

As they walked into the castle grounds, Mirta whispered to Flora. "Nice shot".

"Well, it is supposed to be a party," the brunette quietly replied with a smile. "I am allowed to have a little fun too".

...

Half an hour later, the girls had changed clothes and could join the party, which was being held outside. For the occasion, the girls and boys were both dressed in normal festive clothes and much warmer overcoats.  
"Why is the party outside? I'm freezing my balls off," Riven asked.

"People from Sparx tend not to mind the cold so much," Brandon explained. "Plus, even for a royal party it's still a lot of guests. And there's just more space out here".

"Good for them," Stella grumbled as she rubbed her arms through her coat.

"Do you want my coat too, dear?" Brandon asked. "I can do without it if need be".

"I'll manage for now," the blonde replied. "Though do ask me again in half an hour. Might have changed my mind by then".

"I think it's nice that they hold it outside. It's such great weather today," Bloom commented and stared at the starry expanse above.

"Well, you are the one with the furnace powers," Musa stated. "So of course the cold weather won't bug you as much".

The group arrived at the party proper, which was being held outside the castle's great hall. Both inside and outside were enormous tables where eager servants hurried back and forth to keep a cornucopia of luxurious dishes filled. All around the area stood people in fine dresses and talked about all manner of subjects. Some distance from the festivities a horde of journalists could be seen, held back by short-tempered security guards.

As the girls began to mingle, the sounds of trumpets cut through the cold night air. A servant lowered his instrument and loudly announced: "Ladies and gentlemen. I present to you, Emperor Winetka Silvia and his wife Linley. And I present to you King Radius Guildenstern, his wife Countess Cassandra Pollon and the heir to the Solarian throne, Chimera Pollon". The introduced guests briefly waved to the crowd before they started to mingle. Stella couldn't help but notice her father's presence. The sight of Chimera wearing the Sceptre in its ring form did little to calm her.

"So why didn't we get the big fanfare when we arrived?" Techna asked while Stella snorted like an infuriated bull.

"Sky and I agreed that it would be best if we didn't draw too much attention to our arrival," Brandon replied. "Especially considering recent events".

"I'm going to go talk with my dad," Stella declared. She took two steps forward, before Flora placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "What?" the blonde asked.

"Be careful. Your father is no doubt still influenced by Valtor," the Limphean brunette stated. "Think carefully of what you say and how you say it. Valtor can still make life more difficult for you if he feels that it is necessary".

"Yes, I know," Stella sighed. "I'll just talk with him about some everyday stuff. Hopefully that won't cause any harm". With those words, she carefully made her way over to where Radius, Cassandra and Chimera was.

"Poor Stella. I can't even imagine what it would feel like to be essentially banished from my home," Timmy stated.

"Especially with Chimera of all people taking her place," Bloom added.  
"Is she really that bad?" Mirta asked.

"Like you wouldn't believe," the Dominian princess replied.

"Once Valtor is stopped, she'll be able to reunite properly with her father," Brandon stated. "For now, all we can do is support her". He paused for a bit before adding: "And kick Valtor in the balls if we see him".

"I take it you rather dislike the way he's treated your girlfriend," Riven commented.

"I am a trifle miffed, yes," the squire agreed.

...

"Alright, I'm back," Sky announced as he returned to the group some time later. "Where's Stella gone?"

"Saying hello to her dad," Brandon informed and pointed with his thumb.

By one of the tables, Radius sat and looked like he was having a good time. He was also the only one at the table who looked like that. Stella sat with a big, fake smile while occasionally exchanging death glares with Chimera, while Cassandra looked very much uncomfortable, as if she wanted to be anywhere but where she was.

"So far, no casualties. But we're keeping an eye on things," Musa quipped.

"Sheesh. Hope that gets resolved soon," the Eraklian prince stated. "Anyway, the ball will soon commence and tradition... Well, tradition is... See, as heir..."

"This could take a while," Riven quietly mumbled as Sky kept fumbling with his words. "Should we tell him get on with it?"

"I say we give him five more minutes first," Techna replied.

"Oh be nice. He's just shy," Mirta quietly admonished the scarred girl.

"So the opening dance... That I have to open with... It's kinda a big thing... But... You see... If it's okay with you, Bloom... I'd like to... You know, open the ball with... With, you know, a dance with you," Sky finally said while adjusting his collar to make it easier to breathe.

"Oh... I mean... I'd like to... But..." Bloom began, looking away while rubbing her neck. "You see... I just... It's not you, but... You see..."

"We're going to be here all night," Brandon sighed.

"But look at them. They're adorable," Mirta cooed.

"And they have the communicative skills of a bundle of roos," Musa added.

"See... I'm just... Not that good... At, you know... Dancing," the Dominian princess finally said.

"And Sky has two-left feet. Don't sweat it," Brandon interjected while rolling his eyes. "Just choose a dance that's simple and easy. No one expects miracles, just twirl around a bit. It's more symbolic than anything else".

"Ehm... But I really don't know any dances," Bloom said sheepishly. "Like, at all".

"Neither does Sky. He just improvises," Riven commented. "Usually some variation of the 'I have to pee while bugs are crawling up my pants'".

"That or the 'Traffic director with a sudden stroke'," Brandon added.

"And I'll follow up on the opening dance with tonight's entertainment," the blond prince said dryly. "Having you two thrown in the pond in nothing but your underwear".

"But... yeah, okay then. I guess I wouldn't mind," Bloom said timidly.

"Excellent. Let's do this then," Sky said nervously and led her out onto the floor.

All eyes were on them as they slowly began dancing around, both of them moving with stiff and awkward movements while blushing heavily.

"Are they doing well?" Aisha asked.

"Ehm... Well, they're both still moving," Musa offered.

"They're adorable," Mirta sighed happily. "They'd make for a great couple".

"So, they're actually dancing. Progress," Stella said as she returned to the group. "How'd it go?"

"Lots of stuttering and awkward pauses. But he did manage to ask without any prodding," Brandon informed her. "And Bloom did manage to reply on her own, though a little prodding was required. Give it a couple of months and he might even try to take it to the next step".

"Maybe Bloom will ask first," the Solarian blonde replied.

"And if neither does?" the squire inquired.

"Then we'll gently push them," Stella informed him. After a moment, she said: "Seven by the way".

"Nine," Brandon shot back.

...

After the opening dance, the rest of the party attendants joined in and began waltzing around on the big, open plaza, which came as a relief for both Bloom and Sky. Being the only ones dancing had been a rather uncomfortable experience, even if they both had enjoyed it. With the ball thus opened, Sky had excused himself and decided to go get a quick drink before he would be making his big announcement. He and his parents had agreed that waiting until after the dance was probably the smartest move.

It was while he was pouring himself a glass of wine that he was approached by Diaspro, who greeted him with: "Hello, Sky".

"Oh, hey Diaspro," Sky said as he noticed her. "I wasn't sure if you were going to attend".

"Well... I must admit I felt like staying away," the blonde admitted. "But I needed to get out of my room and get some fresh air".

"I see," Sky said. "Listen, Father told me about what happened. Between you and your family that is. And... Well, I'd like to say that I'll do what I can to help. I can guarantee that my parents do not approve of how you have been treated".

"That's a relief," Diaspro said. She was silent for a moment. "You really like that Bloom girl, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," the blond prince sighed. "Look, I'm sorry it never really worked out between us. I never meant anything personal with it".

"No, no, it's okay. I think..." the blonde began. "I think I finally understand how things should be". She smiled weakly and stretched out her hand in an offering of peace. As Sky took it and shook it, Diaspro continued: "And so will you".

"What do you... Mean...?" the Eraklian prince slowly said as he felt a small jab in his hand and then a sort of fuzziness descended over his mind. "I... I see. Yes, I see how things should be," he slowly said. "Excuse me. I must make my announcement".

"I know. I will not take any more of your time, my prince," Diaspro commented with a courteous bow.

Resolutely, Sky marched towards a platform, with a microphone stand and some speakers on it, which had been raised for any announcements or speeches for the evening. He grabbed it and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention for a moment. I have an important announcement to make". Everyone turned and watched the prince. The air was thick with excitement. "I have been thinking about this for a long time," the blond started. "About my future. About how my choices will not only affect me personally, but also my nation. As heir, I have responsibilities I must take into consideration".

"He's really putting a lot into this," Stella said with a smile as she eyed Bloom.

"Guess he finally found out how to use a dictionary. Or a ghost writer," Riven joked.

"Yes. He's very... Eloquent tonight," Brandon said with an unreadable expression as he rubbed his chin.

"Something wrong?" Timmy inquired.  
"Maybe not. It's just... We'll see," the squire replied.

"I have finally found a way to reconcile my personal desires with what is best for both my kingdom and my dynasty," Sky continued. "And also what is best for those involved. It has taken some time and I will not deny that I've had to change opinion many times. So in this regard, I ask that you forget any previous announcements I've made. I'm not saying they were wrong, but they were made before I had time to come to a realization of how things should be. Many were made out from how I wanted the world to work, but I have concluded that what I want and what is best is not always the same. As heir, I have much to consider. Therefore, in order to secure me and my family's future, it is my intention to marry Diaspro Tzeitel, as her many years of training and preparation would indeed make her the perfect wife for me".

Bloom seemed to freeze at the announcement while Stella accidentally dropped a glass of wine she had been holding.

"I'm sorry, I must still have a fuck-ton of snow in my ears," Techna said as she rubbed her ears. "He said what?"

"Now, of course many of you might be asking yourselves about Princess Bloom Kadmos of Domino," Sky continued. "As I have no doubt demonstrated by opening the dance with her, I harbour great feelings for her. However, the truth is that she is inexperienced as a noble and lacks the training required to properly be a queen. Nevertheless, it is my intention to offer her a spot at my side as my first concubine, and should I have more concubines in the future, she will be chief amongst them. This will of course mean that I will, to some degree, assume stewardship of the kingdom of Domino, but that will be but a temporary arrangement. I have no plans for Eraklyon to absorb Domino into itself. It is only because of Bloom's lack of experience and education that I feel this is a necessary arrangement, which will also be for the good of both her and her kingdom. Her children will of course inherit all her titles and be properly raised to rule the kingdom of Domino. It is my hope that this will serve as a strong foundation for a future alliance between our great nations. I thank you for your attention and wish you all a continued good evening".

Thunderous applause broke out between the guests, as Sky's father and mother took to the stage to personally congratulate him on his choices.

"I must say, my son, you've managed to surprise your old man and make him proud," his father said happily. "This is the best possible way to handle this".

"Indeed. Why didn't you tell us what you were planning?" his mother asked.

"I guess I wasn't really certain of what I was going to say before now," Sky admitted with a shrug. "I still needed a little time".

As Diaspro ascended to the stage, the applause only increased.

Back down among the people, Bloom suddenly felt dizzy and almost stumbled, only to be caught by Flora and Musa. The experience was surreal. "What... What happened?" she weakly asked. "What in the name of everything holy just happened?"

"That's not Sky," Brandon hissed angrily. "I know him and there is no fucking way he could hold a speech like that".

"Agreed. It was way too formal and structured. Sky's just not that good at that kind of stuff," Timmy agreed.

"What, you're saying he's an impostor?" Techna asked.

"Worse," Brandon replied. "I suspect that somebody is controlling him".

"Like with my father," Stella gasped in realization.

"But if this is so out of character for Sky, why is everyone applauding," Bloom asked as she found the strength to stand again.

"Because what he said is what everybody wants to hear, Bloom," Musa said. "His parents, the nobles, the press. They all wanted to hear this. They think it's a good idea and that overshadows the fact that Sky is acting bizarrely professional".

"Do they... Do they really all think that I would be a bad queen?" Bloom asked a bit hurt as she looked around the excited mass of people.

"Bloom, some think that I like, would be a totally awful queen because I went to Alfea," Stella clarified. "It is totally that shallow in those circles".

"So what are we going to do. Drag his royal ass away to a healer?" Riven asked.

"I don't know," Brandon said with a headshake. "I doubt he would come along without a fight. I'm sure whomever is controlling him is keenly aware that some of us are not buying it". He eyed the people on stage as they gave a final wave to the audience. "Diaspro," he finally said. "I suspect that Valtor got to her".

"Really? Why would she join up with him?" Musa asked.

"Diaspro was recently disowned for both failing to marry Sky and failing to govern that region she was put in charge of," Brandon informed them.

"What? But it wasn't her fault that Sky liked me more," Bloom insisted. "And she was just too inexperienced to lead. It's not her fault".

"You think her family gives a shit? She's not a person to them, she's an asset," Riven said. "She's been trained to be a good wife all of her life. But thanks to you and Sky getting along, her life as she knew it has been basically been ruined. Not that I blame you," he quickly clarified. "But look at her now. She's gotten everything she ever wanted".

"But why does she want Bloom to be his concubine?" Stella asked. "That tots doesn't make sense, like, at all".

"Maybe she thinks she can buy Bloom's friendship this way," Musa commented. "Or maybe she really does believe what she's gotten Sky to say".

"Maybe. But I say we shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet," Timmy said. "All we really have are circumstantial evidence. I say we keep an eye on things before we do anything".

"You do that. I need a drink," Bloom stated.

...

Far away, in another dimension, Icy was laughing hysterically at a television.

"I can't believe the shit you get away with," Stormy said to Valtor, as the four of them watched the live transmission from the Unity Day party. "Seriously, even I could tell you something was off about that guy".

"Indeed. The modifications to his mind does make him a bit... Stilted," Valtor admitted. "But as long as he talks about any other subject than his marriage, he will seem natural. It's the same thing that happened with King Radius. He was only being weird when he was saying something people wanted to hear, so they were more willing to overlook any perceived oddities".

"I... I wish we... We could have seen Bloom's face," Icy laughed as she tried calm down. "It must... Must have been... Priceless".

"She will not take this lying down," Darcy commented. "There is no way they will not suspect your involvement".

"If she does decide to interfere, then I have already prepared several ways to stop her," Valtor replied.

"Could they even break your spell?" Icy asked.

"Not the fairies themselves, no," Valtor clarified. "But they know people who could. They have already made progress on curing Aisha's sight. Even if the control over Sky is different, my spells do have certain similarities. It will not be easy for them to break it, but it will be doable. So the best course of action will be to ensure that Sky remains out of their hands for the time being".

"So can we be sure this Diaspro girl won't try any funny business?" Stormy asked. "Like trying to cut ties with us now that she has gotten what she wants?"  
"Of course not. She is far too grateful to perceive me as an enemy," the dandy sorcerer assured her. "I have saved her life, from her perspective anyway. Even if she was to learn of my real identity, she would most likely give me the benefit of the doubt. I am her best friend in the world at the moment".

"Indeed. You have demonstrated excellence at taking control of people," Darcy admitted with a hint of admiration.

"It's really not that hard. You just need to keep the two most important tools of manipulation in mind," Valtor said confidently. "Carrot and whip".

"Tempting people and scaring them?" Stormy asked for clarification.  
"In a way. But the most important aspect of instilling terror and fear into people, if you wish to manipulate them, is to not make yourself the source of it," Valtor explained. "Because if you are the source of their fear, they will seek ways to be rid of you. Take Countess Cassandra for example. There can be no doubt she dislikes me. But what she fears is what noble society will do to her and especially her daughter. She knows I keep them safe and shield them for the consequences of their actions. Sure, she knows I deceived her to some degree, but she is still terrified at the though of what would have happened without my help. She will do as I say as long as she fears what will happen once I'm gone".

"So, what do we do now?" Icy asked. "With Eraklyon infiltrated".

"Sky is of course not as much in control as Radius is, but he still wields considerable influence. I doubt the boy has ever really considered what he could do from what I've learned of him," the well-dressed magi continued. "With his and Radius' help, I intend to slowly deprive any attempt at a unified effort to stop me of resources, dooming such projects to wither on the vine". He rubbed his chin. "Though to truly hinder such efforts, we might have to leave for greener pastures. The nations of Andros are closing in. My puppet merfolk will not be able to hold them off forever. Even as we speak, we're losing ground. Not that it matters. This location was but one of convenience while I regained my footing. Losing it will not hinder us in the slightest".

"But we will need a place to stay, won't we?" Icy asked.

"Indeed. And I have already started planning on where we will go. We have so many options, after all. But we'll see to that later," the dandy magi replied. "For now, I suggest we continue to enjoy the show".

...

The refreshing feeling of cold liquid settling in her stomach helped shake Bloom out of the shock she had experienced. The very fact that it had hit her as hard as it had was quite the surprise to the redhead, who now began to realise that she really was beginning to deeply care for Sky. This was just the worst possible way for her to find out. Especially as part of her wailed and screamed at this supposed betrayal, though Bloom was rational enough to realise that it wouldn't be fair to blame Sky for this, if he truly was brainwashed or impersonated or whatever. It wasn't exactly the first time she'd experienced something like this, so she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. The others had decided to give her some space while they spread out to try to figure out what had happened. While Bloom was inclined to agree with Musa that this had Valtor written all over it, she also had to agree with Timmy that they had to be certain before they acted. One thing she had learned through bitter experience was the danger of rushing in without proper knowledge.

"Miss Kadmos, may I have a moment of your time?" a servant asked as she approached the redhead. When Bloom gave her permission, she said: "Crown Prince Sky would like a word with you in private at your earliest convenience. He'll be waiting in the gardens".

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind," the redhead responded with a forced smile.

Barely had the servant left before Bloom heard Brandon say: "This has trap written all over it if you ask me. She might have noticed that you didn't exactly take kindly to the announcement".

She turned her head and noticed that the squire stood beside her. "Maybe," she said. "But it's also a good opportunity to figure out what's going on with him".

"That much is also true," Brandon agreed.

"Listen, if I were to go, could you get the others? Just in case," Bloom asked. "If this really is a trap I might need help and even if it isn't, if I can confirm he is under somebody's control I might still need help catching him".

"Right. A good plan," Brandon agreed. "Give me a minute and I'll have the others gathered. Just go to the garden and pretend everything is normal. Try to get a confession or something like that out of whomever you end up talking to".

Bloom nodded and the brunette headed off into the throng of people in order to locate the others. The Dominian princess waited a while, taking the occasional sip of the cold drink she had poured herself, before putting down her glass and heading into the gardens, the snow creaking under her feet as she did so. She remembered having walked through the area with Flora last time she was in Eraklyon. The sounds of the party became muted and distant. For but a moment, Bloom felt as if she was all alone in the world.

"I'm glad you showed up," she heard Sky's voice and the redhead turned to see the Eraklian prince sit on the edge of a frozen fountain. "I realised that we needed to discuss our future. Especially in the light of my recent considerations".

Bloom forced herself to take a deep breath, before asking: "Why didn't you tell me what you were planning?"

"I didn't... I wasn't certain back then," Sky explained after a slight pause. "I still had things to figure out, Bloom. But that is not important. What is important is that we try to figure out how to make this work".

"Really? So you actually think I'd agree to this?" Bloom asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought I'd already made my position clear".

"Yes. You did," Sky agreed as he furrowed his brows in concentration. "Back then... Yes. But things... Things change Bloom. We must come to terms with the fact that this is the best possible way to deal with this for all three of us. We all have responsibilities".

"Okay then. Answer me this then, if you can," the redhead continued. "Why did you say you were just going to announce that we were dating if you had in fact already made grand plans for the whole political aspect of the situation?"

"I said that... Because... I thought... I thought I was certain..." Sky struggled to say. Bloom could see how the blond prince got more and more confused, as if he was trying to resolve some paradoxical idea in his head. "I was... I was wrong... Back then. And I saw... I saw how things should be... But I didn't have the time... I had to... I had to make that announcement now because... I was..."

"It's okay, my prince," Diaspro said soothingly as she stepped out of the fountain's shadow. "It will all be okay soon".

"Yes. You're right. It will be alright soon," Sky agreed as the confusion lifted from his face. "It will all be alright".

Diaspro sighed and turned towards Bloom with a quiet: "Why do you insist on making things so difficult?"

The redhead noted that the blonde noble looked neither victoriously smug nor angry. She looked more sad than anything else. "What have you done to Sky?" Bloom asked threateningly.

"I've helped him. And now I'm trying to help you," Diaspro insisted. "Bloom, I know things must have been very different on Earth. The way you reacted to the very idea of being a concubine said as much. But there's no shame to be found in being one".

"Then why don't you go be a concubine?" Bloom asked angrily.

"I would gladly have settled for being a concubine," Diaspro continued. "But Sky made it clear you would find it unacceptable". She sighed. "Even back then you seemed unable to compromise your dreams for reality".

The redhead took another deep breath while rubbing her temples to keep her frustration under control. "Why is this so important?" she asked. "Why does this have to matter? Why can't me and Sky just be together without it having to involve all this politics crap?"

"But Bloom, that is exactly what my proposition will do for you," Diaspro insisted. "This way, you will be free from the responsibilities that have been forced upon you. It's not your fault that you're the lost heir of a kingdom, something you never had the chance to prepare for. As concubine of Sky, you will be allowed to have a pure and loving relationship. It's also easier on me, not having to pretend I'm deeply in love with him. I was never good at acting. And people already know that you two care for each other. Opening the dance with you was the clearest signal Sky could send. And your children will be trained from the start in the art of nobility, ensuring that Domino will have a strong leader".

"Even if all that was true, that still doesn't give you the right to... To take Sky's free will away," Bloom insisted.

"It was not a decision made lightly," Diaspro admitted. "But it is for the best. Sky was so in love with you that it blinded him to reality. As his wife, it's my duty to help him. I don't want to take him from you, honestly. I want to help us all. This _is_ for the best".

"You're not his wife yet," the redhead pointed out.

"I've always been his wife," Diaspro said with a faint and sad smile. "That's all I've ever been Bloom. I've been trained to be Sky's wife since I was a little girl. It's all I ever will be. It's my life and my fate. I know now that you did not mean to take that from me. Not intentionally. It was but another side effect of your insufficient education. And I don't blame you for that, Bloom. There is no way that could be fixed as easily as Avalon probably desired. Too much time has been lost due to your exile on Earth".

Bloom sighed. She was both tempted to give Diaspro a comforting hug and a right hook to the face. She wasn't sure in which order they would come if she gave in to temptation.

"You know, at first I was really angry at you," came Brandon's voice and Bloom noted that a jolt passed through Diaspro's body. "But at this point, I can only pity you," the squire finished as he stepped out of the bushes.  
"What... Where did you come from?" Diaspro asked as she slightly backed away.

"Brandon? What are you doing here. I'm trying to have a private moment with Bloom," Sky said confused.

"Don't worry, buddy. We're here to help," the brunette insisted.

"We?" Diaspro asked suprised. She looked around, only to note that all of Bloom's friends had her and Sky surrounded.

"Sorry. But we'll be taking over lover boy from here on out," Musa stated.

"Guys? What's going on?" the blond prince asked even more confused. "This isn't funny, you know".

"Oh, on that we can agree," Techna commented. "There's absolutely nothing funny about this whatsoever".

"You-you can't do this," Diaspro insisted as she tried to find some direction to back away in. It turned out to be a futile gesture, as the boys and girls of Alfea and Red Fountain had made sure to surround her and Sky.

"Diaspro, we'll help you through this," Timmy tried diplomatically. "But you can't do this to Sky".

"I'm helping him," the blonde insisted once again. "Why can't any of you see that? Bloom's not ready to rule, Sky needs a proper wife and I am nothing without him. This is the best way for all of us".

"Maybe that really is the case," Brandon said as he and the others closed in. "But even so, right now it's not Sky's choice. And he deserves to decide on his own".

...

"Oh, Diaspro, Diaspro, Diaspro," Valtor sighed as he shook his head. "So naïve you are".

"What? What?" Icy asked. "What are you seeing that we are not? What's going on? Diaspro's not even on stage anymore".

"I can see through the eyes and listen through the ears of any who possess my mark," Valtor explained. "And Diaspro, in her attempt to reconcile with Bloom, has made herself vulnerable and now risk jeopardizing my entire investment in Eraklyon. She genuinely believes that she can convince her. Or maybe her guilty consciousness just wants Bloom to reaffirm that her actions are in the right. That is not something I can tell at this juncture, though I do plan on asking her. Knowing what motivates people is another important aspect of controlling them".

"So what are our options?" Darcy asked.  
"We cannot go ourselves. It would put us at a considerable risk considering the level of security for the event," the dandy sorcerer explained. "I do have a couple of aces up my sleeves, but I'd prefer to keep them hidden until absolutely necessary".

"I believe Darkar also mentioned something about not revealing your hand too early," Stormy commented.

"But I have a very simple solution," Valtor continued. "As you no doubt saw from my handling of the kraken, my mark can influence any living being".

"And?" Darcy asked.

"And while I spent time in Eraklyon, I learned that its royal family happens to have their very own dragon stables," the sorcerer elaborated with a smile. "Which they really should keep a closer eye upon in my humble opinion".

"I'm going to need more snacks for this," Icy commented with a sadistic smirk.

"I assume that this will just be, you know, scaring people," Stormy said. "No mass killing and such, right?"

"Maria, have some faith in me," Valtor said as he dismissed her concerns. "They are but a distraction that will allow Diaspro and Sky to get to safety I assure you".

"So when do you plan on getting started?" Darcy asked.

"I already have," Valtor replied. On the TV, they could suddenly hear enraged roars and the sound of splintering wood while people began screaming.

...

"Guys, what's wrong with you?" Sky asked as his friends formed a tighter and tighter circle around him and Diaspro.

"Don't worry, we're here to help," Brandon insisted again. "Just come with us and you'll soon feel better".

The blond prince responded with a growl while Diaspro hid behind him.

Then there was a roar in the distance accompanied by the sounds of destruction. The group was momentarily distracted as they looked towards the carnage.

That proved to be a mistake.

The moment their attention was elsewhere, Sky dashed forward, his fist connecting with Brandon's face. He followed up by grabbing the momentarily confused squire and used his entire body to hurl the brunette like a projectile, launching him into Riven. Timmy turned to assist, but he and Techna were suddenly pelted with gems controlled by Diaspro and they were both knocked back, creating a large hole in the circle. A fact that Sky and Diaspro didn't waste a second taking advantage of, running full sprint towards the castle.

Brandon spat out some blood from a wound on his lip, got up from the ground and began pursuing the two nobles, the others following right after him. As they charged out of the gardens, the all came to an immediate stop.

"Well," Musa commented. "That ain't good".

Party goers and guests were running screaming in every direction as three dragons swooped through the ai, with quite notable stylized Vs on the side of their necks. Tables were overturned, objects smashed and the guards were having a hard time controlling it all while dozens of journalists were taking the opportunity to get good photos of the ongoing disaster.

"There's no fucking way this is a coincidence," Techna angrily stated.

Brandon looked around the area while grimacing. Diaspro and Sky had already disappeared in the confusion. "Riven, Timmy, follow me," he ordered. "There's equipment in the stables for capturing the dragons. The rest of you, start getting the people out of here. It doesn't look like the dragons are attacking". There was a loud whoosh as one of the dragons set a large bush on fire. "Correction, they don't seem to be attacking the people. Nevertheless, they might get hurt in the panic. Help them however you can".

He, Timmy and Riven ran off while the girls hurried into the party area. Aisha and Bloom immediately went to work helping the servants control the fires, while Musa and Techna helped direct people out. As Flora began using her medical training to patch up the people who'd gotten hurt, Stella asked her: "Have you seen my dad anywhere?"

"Afraid not, but it is hard to get a proper overview of the situation everything considered," Flora replied.

"Then I'll go look for him," Stella said and ran deeper into the party grounds, as the dragons set the nearby hedge maze on fire. She looked around, the area obscured by a thick layer of smoke from the burning plants.

That's when she heard an uncomfortably familiar voice saying: "Mom, we should get out of here. It's too dangerous. Let the guards find him". Stella turned to see Cassandra make her way through the smoky grounds, accompanied by her daughter.

"You can go, Chimera, it's okay," the countess replied. "But I am not leaving without Radius".

The blonde considered the situation for a moment, before coming to a decision. "Hey, you two!" she called and ran up the shocked pair. "Where in Solaris' name did my dad go?"

"I-I don't know," the surprised countess replied. "We tried to get away, but we were separated by a fleeing group of people. I haven't seen him since".

Stella made a noise of frustration and looked around. The hedge maze had become quite the inferno, despite constant attempts at controlling the flames. "You," the blonde said and pointed at Chimera. "You have my sceptre. So go use it to help put that fire out before we all start choking".

"It's not your..." the annoyed sorcerer tried to argue, but Stella cut her off with a: "JUST SHUT UP AND DO IT!" She turned to Cassandra and said: "You, look for him in that direction. I'll go this way. If the fire gets put out, we'll have a better chance of actually finding him or anyone else still trapped here". Then she hurried off.

"Mom, do I really have to...?" Chimera started.

"Yes. Go conjure some rain clouds. A torrent if you can," Cassandra confirmed.

"With these temperatures it's going to, like, turn into a skating rink before long," the black-haired sorcerer commented.

"I'm sure people will prefer that to a raging conflagration," Cassandra stated.

Meanwhile, Stella hurried through the grounds, her fingers glowing like flashlights to help her navigate the area. She dug through rubble and junk, desperately hoping that she would find her father. In the distance, she could hear the roars of the dragons as the wranglers got them under control and the smoke began dissipating as the fires were put out.

And then she heard it. Somebody coughing and groaning.

She ran in the direction of the sound, only to find her dad sitting on the ground, one of his legs bending in a way that it was most definitely never meant to do.

"Stella!" he exclaimed happily. "I'm so glad to see you. Could you give me a hand?"

"Sure, Dad," Stella replied happily as she gave him support. "What a party, huh?"

"Yes, they didn't advertise the whole getting stomped on by a mob of terrified people in the invitation," her father replied with a chuckle. "Have you seen Cassandra and Chimera? I lost sight of them after I got run over".

"They... They were looking for you. We split up to find you," Stella said. "I think things are starting to come under control though".

They managed the reach the area where the guests had been gathered. In the distance they could see that the three dragons had been corralled and tied down, all three of them looking incredibly calm. One wrangler was talking with Brandon, very confusedly telling him that: "The moment we had them under control, the marks just disappeared and they became calm again".

Elsewhere, Stella could see her friends gather after the events, tired and dirty, but chatting happily.

And standing in the middle of a circle of journalists was Chimera, smugly expounding on her heroic efforts to save the day with her powers.

"She really enjoys the spotlight," Radius mused as he noticed his stepdaughter.

"More like gets off on it," Stella muttered.

"Attention is for Chimera what sunlight is for flowers," Cassandra commented as she walked up to the pair. "Are you okay, my dear?"

"Well, leg's broken. But that's about it," Radius stated.

"Don't worry. I'll get you to the healer," Cassandra said as she took over. "Thank you for the help, Stella. I really do mean that".

The Solarian blonde eyed the countess suspiciously for a moment, before saying: "Well, I did what I had to. But now that I have your attention I do have a question, if it's not too personal".

"Yes?" Cassandra asked.

"Who's Chimera's father? It's something that's been bugging me for a while," Stella noted.

"No, that's okay. I can understand why you would be curious. I was once married to a royal from Cha. Fourth in line to the throne if I remember correctly;" Cassandra said. "A purely political marriage".

"Wait, Cha?" Stella repeated. "Oh. Oh, okay. That's... Interesting".

"Now, we really must be off. Your father needs the attention of a doctor or a healer," Cassandra said as she walked off.

"Bye, Stella. Have fun at Alfea," Radius said as he stumbled off with his wife's help.

"There you are. So, you found your father I see," Brandon said as he walked over to her. "How did it go?"

"Fine. I'm just... Going to miss him," Stella sighed. She paused for a moment. "You know, back on Solaria, Valtor was with Cassandra and Chimera. I suspect they're his inside people".

"Like Diaspro was," Brandon stated. "Makes sense".

"But I don't think she hates me. Or my father," Stella continued. "And Diaspro really seemed like she did want to help Bloom". She was silent for a moment. "Why are they helping Valtor?"

"Hard to say, really. I would guess Diaspro fears being without purpose," the squire speculated. "As for Cassandra, who knows? Maybe Valtor figured out what she feared the most and is using that to control her".

"But that just isn't right," Stella insisted. "It was one thing fighting the Usurpers or someone like Darkar. At least they choose to be nasty people. But here..." She sighed. "It's like with the merfolk. We're hurting people we really shouldn't be fighting to begin. All because of Valtor".

"Such is life at times," Brandon stated. "It's sad, but there isn't much we can do about that right now".

"Did you ever find Sky?" the blonde asked.

Brandon looked up and Stella followed his gaze. In one of the great windows of the castle, they could see the shadows of Sky and Diaspro looking down at the scene. "Nothing we can do about that right now either," the brunette continued. "Sad as that is to say".

"Let's just get home. I'm tired," Stella said. "And my dress is ruined. What a party".

The lovers walked over to their friends, who enthusiastically greeted them.

"So, let's skedaddle," Techna said. "I need sleep, pronto".

"I agree," Mirta said. "Flora, I love going on dates with you. But they seem to have a tendency to get... Crazy".

"I am well aware of the fact and trust me when I say that it annoys me as much as it must annoy you," Flora stated as they began walking back to the ship.

"By the way, Musa, I learned something that you might find very interesting," Stella said.

"And that is?" the black-haired musician asked.

"Turns out that you and Chimera are cousins," Stella said.

"Wait... You're kidding. You're kidding right?" Musa asked as she stopped up. "Stella, that is a joke, right? Hey, wait up, that was you making fun of me, right? Right?" There was a moment of silence. "Well, crap".


	9. Dark Sky

Chapter 9: Dark Sky

"Okay, so let's sum up the situation so far," Musa said as she paced back and forth on the plains behind Alfea, where the girls had gathered to have a talk about the recent events that they had experienced. "So far, Valtor has turned Sky and Radius into puppets, while somehow making Diaspro, Cassandra and Chimera ally with him. This gives him control of Solaria and great influence in Eraklyon. He has also attacked Espero, stealing unidentified valuables from the realm in the process. And he has taken control of circa everything within ninety kilometres of the Omega portal, transforming just about every merperson within that radius into a part of his own fearsome army. He has allied with our good old friends the Usurpers, blinded Aisha, confiscated Stella's artefact and proven himself capable of turning even the most fearsome creatures into his own personal lapdogs. Am I missing something?"

"Well, he also deep froze Domino. That's still a thing," Techna stated.

"Right, he also did that. Plus he managed to escape from Omega," the black-haired musician stated. "And he's got everybody running scared. We're locked inside our own school because we risk him marching in and setting everything on fire".

"In conclusion, he has proven to be a most capable foe," Flora said. "Though we did manage to free Queen Ligea of Jezero. That is something. As far as the news have reported, this has allowed the united military forces of Andros to slowly take back the lost territory, capturing dozens of mind-controlled merfolk in the process. I heard that prince Nereus himself has been leading some of the offensives. I do not doubt that soon they will have the entire area back under their control".

"But that will not stop Valtor," Bloom said. "He's already shown that he can go wherever he pleases. If he loses his position in Andros, he'll most likely just go to Solaria or Eraklyon".

"If he tries to turn my kingdom into his summer home, I'll laser blast his stupid face off," Stella growled.

"It does sound like he's near impossible to stop unless he himself makes a mistake first," Aisha said. "Wasn't that how Faragonda said the Company of Light got him? They caught him after he used the ritual on Domino?"

"So what, we wait for him to decide to doom another kingdom and then we catch him?" Musa asked. "I don't think that's going to help".

Bloom sighed as she sat down on the grass, saying: "The guy gives me a headache. Stella, have you heard from Brandon yet?"

"Sadly, no," the blonde replied. "Haven't, like, got as much as a single word from him ever since he returned to Eraklyon. In theory, he's just as much allowed to be there as Sky, being his squire and such, but with the stunt he pulled at the Unity Day party... Well, it could get a bit awkward. Of course, not even Sky could have him arrested without proof of course, but still... He and Diaspro could make things tots difficult".

"And who knows where Valtor will strike next?" Techna added. "As long as he jams him hand up peoples asses and turns them into sock puppets that say whatever it is that the rest of the noble snob society wants to hear, he could take over any realm".

Aisha made a face and commented. "What lovely imagery you've conjured up".

"What about Zenith?" Bloom asked. "Isn't that a democracy?"

"Yeah, but if he gets the president to give all the major corporations tax breaks, we're fucking toast," Techna commented.

"If either his motives or his large scale plans were known, he would probably be easier to predict," Flora stated. "I suspect that he is not merely engaging in random acts of wanton carnage. He seems to be aiming bigger than that".

"Maybe next time we run into him we can quiz him," Musa joked. "Hey there mister tall, dark and gruesome. Do you mind giving us a rundown of your evil plan so we can boot you back to Omega at the earliest convenience?"

"I do not think we should attempt to engage him," the Limphean noble stated. "We have already suffered enough from standing in his way. I say we leave this to the professionals".

"Trust me, we'll meet him again," the dark-haired musician said. "Just like with the Usurpers and Darkar. Somehow, we'll get involved. I know it".

"Hmm, I suppose that it is true that we have had problems with staying out of these situations, even in cases where we made a serious attempt at doing so," Flora agreed.

"Like when we tried to go on vacation and the witch bitches sent an entire legion of wild animals after us," Techna brought up. "Fun times".

"Please, do speak for yourself. I still have nightmares," Aisha commented.

...

That evening, the staff of Alfea gathered in Faragonda's office. Once the headmistress was sure they had all arrived, she called Saladin and Griffin over the phone.

Once they had both received her call, Faragonda started the meeting by saying: "I imagine all of you can guess why I've called this meeting".

"You're worried about Valtor," Avalon stated.

"Very much so," Faragonda agreed.

"I doubt he will refrain from attacking the schools," came Saladin's voice over the phone's loudspeaker . "All of the schools have powerful artefacts in storage. Artefacts he would no doubt love getting his hands on".

"That much is true," Griffin confirmed. "Valtor is ambitious. But also smart. He will not attack the schools unless he is certain he can win".

"We have taken our precautions with the barrier, though I do sometimes fear it will not be enough," the fairy headmistress admitted.

"There is little we can do to strengthen it," Palladium said. "It's already powered by a defence-magic oriented dragonshade".

"Still, we should remain vigilant," Griselda insisted. "It's when you first think that you are invincible that you really let your guard down".

"I agree," Avalon agreed. "Valtor has proven himself a tricky adversary".

"We have all had to increase our security," Saladin said. "It is simply necessary with him on the loose".

"Speaking of him, have we managed to confirm how deep his involvement in the Unity Day incident was?" Wizgiz asked.

"No. Obviously, the dragons were temporarily under his control," Saladin answered. "If Sky had returned to Red Fountain as he should, I would have had him examined, but he has elected to remain in Eraklyon. Combined with witnesses, I think we have enough to assume that he is under Valtor's control. But there's nothing we can do about it".

"I have contacted my order and they are pursuing possible ways to interfere, but unless we can prove that Sky is a danger, I doubt we will be allowed to take him away, even temporarily," Avalon said.

"There are of course other reasons that Valtor might go after our schools besides the artefacts we have in storage," Faragonda added. "Considering mine, Griffin's and Saladin's involvement in his initial capture, he might consider us threats that should be removed".

"A distinct possibility. He always did hate leaving things to chance," Griffin commented.

"Plus, there's Bloom. The Ancestral Witches were interested in her and we have every reason to suspect that Valtor's betrayal made their attempted kidnapping possible," Saladin added. "He might go after her again".

"But then why didn't he just keep her when he found her near the Omega Portal," Palladium asked.

"From what we were told, he mostly just wanted her out of his hair".

"The dragonflame does give Bloom a degree of protection," Faragonda said. "He might not have been powerful enough to dominate her and had nothing to offer her in exchange for loyalty. But that might chance".

"Of course, he might also have left the AW's agenda behind him," Griffin stated. "Though even if that is the case, he will most likely still target the schools at some point".

"Could we send the artefacts elsewhere?" Ophelia inquired.

"Possible. But the schools were designed to be very safe, what with having to house important students from dozens of realm. We do risk him attacking while they are vulnerable in transport and we do not need him getting any stronger," Saladin said. "While it does put us at risk, we cannot allow him to get his hands on these artefacts. I have of course told my staff so and given them permission to leave if they feel this endangerment is unacceptable".

"And the same offer is of course open to all of you," Faragonda added.

The members of the staff exchanged glances.

"Eh, I 'ave my kitchen and 'undreds of students to feed," SeFogelia said with a shrug. "I 'ave too much work to do to run away scared from zis Valtor fellow".

"And I refuse to let him threaten the students under my care," Avalon declared.

"I'd like to echo their sentiments," Wizgiz commented.

"How about we cut this short and you just tell us only if you want to leave," Griselda cut in. "Nobody? Well, that is hardly a surprise considering the general level of professionalism all of you usually display".

"Aw shucks, yer making me blush," Wizgiz joked.

"Then we are in agreement. I just wanted you to know the situation;" Faragonda said as she ended the call.

...

The next morning, after a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast, Faragonda entered her office feeling much better. Sure, there was still the threat of Valtor, but knowing that she had the support of her staff and the other schools made her feel much calmer. She still had a craving for tea, but she could settle for what she had with her breakfast. She sat down in her chair and began going through various papers and documents that reported on how the school had been doing lately. She was just getting to the report on their finances when she heard knocking on her door. "Come in," she said as she put the paper down.

"Miss Faragonda," Griselda said as she entered. "We have gotten some... Mail, much of which was addressed directly to you". She said the word mail in the grave kind of voice you usually reserve for announcing that somebody had died. Or was about to.

"Oh my. You sound quite serious, Susanna," the fairy headmistress said. "What is it all about?"

"Well, from what I was allowed to read, some are from concerned parents who fear for their kids' safety now that we've taken such measures to prevent possible attacks from Valtor," Griselda said.

"That was to be expected," Faragonda sighed. "Some of the students may get held back a year if their parents take them out of the school until the Valtor situation has been rectified. But considering what has been happening these last two years, I cannot blame the parents for being careful. I'll call them and talk to them, see what we can do".

"That would be for the best," Griselda agreed. "Now then, there might have been some private mail in there somewhere, but a large majority of these are from various noble families. Especially the Dominian ones. Bring them in".

"This strikes me as a rather excessive letter writing campaign," Avalon commented as he and Palladium helped each other carry an unwieldy bag of letters into the office.

Faragonda couldn't help but stare as they dropped it in front of her desk. "That is a lot of letters," she agreed as she picked one, opened and began reading. "To Headmistress Emanuela Faragonda. Considering Crown Prince Sky Herakles' recent public proposal, we of the Severador family hope you are taking steps to encourage Bloom to do her duty and take the offer". She picked another. "As her guardian, it is your duty to make sure Bloom stays away from Crown Prince Sky Herakles. Don't let her settle for concubine". Another letter. "As Bloom has not demonstrated any aptitude for leadership, we must consider it to be the best for our kingdom if she took the Eraklian prince's generous offer". She sighed.

"Let me help," Palladium said and began going through the letters. "Oh. Well this person's grammar needs some work".

"This is written as a rhyme," Avalon said as he read another. "That seems excessively dramatic".

"This family wants you to ensure that if Bloom does become Sky's concubine, she still gets to be pregnant first," Griselda informed the others.

"Finally, a kind-hearted soul," Palladium said relieved. "This family wants Bloom to choose". He furrowed his brows. "No, wait, false alarm. They want Bloom to be chosen. Preferably by a Dominian noble to avoid impurities in the bloodline. Such scraggly handwriting".

Avalon stared with disgust at one of the letters, before ripping it apart with a: "Trust me. You would not want to read that".

"These people suggest that if Bloom proves unreasonable, it would be best for her dynasty if her behaviour was to be modified," Griselda said with obvious distaste in her mouth. "Some of these are quite shameless".

"Now this looks official," Palladium said. "It would seem that many of the families have grouped together and are sending an official representative to talk with Bloom".

"And here I thought today would be a good day," Faragonda sighed. "So when does he or she arrive?"

"Ehm..." Palladium began. "He'll... Well, he'll arrive in two hours".

Faragonda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Very well then," she said in a sombre tone. "I'll contact Bloom. Would you tell SeFogelia to send me another pot of tea?"

...

"You wanted to talk with me?" Bloom asked as she entered the room.

"Yes, Bloom," Faragonda said. "This is Will Wanket, a representative of the Dominian noble families".

Will was a well-dressed, tall and thin man, whom Bloom judged to be in his early sixties. "A pleasure to meet you," he stated without a hint of emotion.

"Oh. Right, I think I remember Avalon mentioning something about this," the redhead said as she tried to remember. "Something about a representative being chosen to speak for Domino because the remaining people of Domino were scattered across the realms, right?"

Will didn't reply.

"You are correct, Bloom," Faragonda said supportively. "Please, have a seat".

The Dominian princess sat down and a couple of seconds of silence passed. "So..." Bloom began. "What's going on?"

"The nobles of Domino felt that, especially in light of Crown Prince Sky Herakles' recent offer, that it is the right time to discuss your marriage options," Will droned on. "Especially in the light of the complete lack of official response from you".

"My what options?" Bloom asked surprised.

"Here we go," Faragonda sighed.

"Many of the families have expressed to both me and Faragonda that considering how far behind you are in your royal studies, it might be beneficial to set you up with a partner that can compensate for your lacking education," Will continued to explain. "The question is of course with whom. Several of Domino's own noble houses have of course already offered family members for the position". He handed the shocked redhead a list. "Others have of course expressed interest in you taking up the crown prince's offer, as that will help cement an important future alliance for Domino".

Bloom blinked rapidly as her eyes shifted from the list, to Will and to Faragonda.

"I thought you said you were merely going to inform her of the current situation," Faragonda remarked displeased.

"I am. Bloom is rapidly approaching twenty years of age, at which point it will become significantly harder to secure beneficial partners," Will explained.

"I'm... I'm sorry," Bloom began, a hint of an edge in her tone. "But I'm not even done with my fairy education. I don't even have a boyfriend, much less somebody I plan on marrying".

"While a certain amount of courtship is usually expected, it is not strictly necessary," Wanket dismissed. "And many have pointed out you did well with Eugene Bijoux, so he could be an option. Though we should keep in mind that his family has not offered him up for marriage. Understandable of course. Eugene's habits and hobbies makes him less than desirable as a potential husband".

The way Faragonda glared at the representative made it clear that the only reason she wasn't saying anything was that she was using all her willpower to force herself to not hurl Wanket out the big window.

"And as for your fairy education, that must be considered secondary to your role as Domino's last royal," he scoffed. "Considering that your parents and your siblings have all been declared either dead or presumed dead, it is your duty to ensure the survival of your lineage as soon as possible. If you must sacrifice this frivolous education to do so, so be it".

"Now you listen for one second," Faragonda began as she stood up.

"Miss Faragonda, as her guardian, you should have made it clear that her fooling around like this has been completely unacceptable, not to mention very much unnecessary," Will said as he turned his attention to the headmistress. "Domino needs a strong royalty to bind us together in these trying times. While Bloom cannot be that, she is duty-bound to at least try to secure us a strong leadership through marriage. But instead of that, you've had some teacher try to fill her in on royal protocol and shielded her from the world of nobles while... Do you smell something burning?" Will asked surprised.

There was a loud whoosh as the papers in Bloom's hand incinerated and as she stood up and glared at the representative, it was with the full force of the dragonflame glowing in her eyes, magical power emanating from her body and visible flames licking across her skin.

Will finally showed some emotion, that emotion being how extremely close he was to soiling himself at the sight of the completely enraged princess.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" she yelled as the carpet under her shoes began burning. "I'M TIRED OF YOU SNOBBISH DOUCHEBAGS TRYING TO TURN MY ENTIRE LIFE INTO A GAME OF POLITICAL CHESS! I'LL MARRY WHEN I WANT TO, WITH WHOM I WANT TO! AND IT WILL BE BECAUSE I LOVE THEM, NOT BECAUSE SOME ANCIENT FOSSILS CLINGING TO SOME DUST-COVERED DAYDREAM DEMANDS THAT I POP OUT A BASKET OF BABIES FOR THEM! IS?! THAT?! CLEAR?!" With that last announcement, fire surged from her body and scorched the ceiling. For a brief second, the room became hot as an oven. And then finally, Bloom's power and temper cooled down to a more manageable level as she breathed heavily, still glaring angrily at the cowering representative. "This meeting is over," she stated coldly and stomped out of the office.

"Congratulations. You've just managed to reduce the length of your career to however long it will take for Bloom to become queen," Faragonda commented without a hint of sympathy as the whimpering representative tried to get up from the floor.

...

On an entirely different planet, in an entirely different dimension, Vanessa Peterson was considering some house cleaning when the special phone they had gotten from Alfea rang. She picked it up and said: "Hello, Bloom".

"Hi, Mom," came Bloom's heavily annoyed voice.

"What happened now?" Vanessa asked.

"I think I'm about to go crazy," she heard her daughter sigh, accompanied by a sound she imagined came from the redhead throwing herself on her bed. "No, scratch that. The whole world is going crazy".

"Is it a private call, or can I be in on it?" Mike asked as he entered the room.

"Of course you can be in on it, dear," Vanessa said as she activated the phone's loudspeaker. "Now, you were saying?"

"It's a long story," Bloom sighed. "Short version is that an evil wizard named Valtor has stolen Sky's brain and is now forcing him to marry Diaspro, with me being offered to be his concubine".

"Not this again," Mike groaned as he facepalmed.

"And because he publicly announced this, now all of the nobility of my kingdom wants to know when I'm getting married and to whom," Bloom explained. "They sent some representative over, ostensibly to talk some sense into me. Apparently, many of the nobles can't wait for me to have some babies already".

"Shouldn't you at least finish your education first?" Vanessa asked. "I don't think Queen Teen Mom will suit you".

Despite the situation, Bloom couldn't help but giggle.

"Seriously, that's ridiculous," Mike insisted. "You'll marry only if you want to. They can't just demand you become a wife or a mother".

"They don't even particularly care about my education," Bloom informed her parents. "They just want me to secure my royal lineage's future, since everyone else in my family is either dead or disappeared".

"Hurrah for women's rights," Mike commented flatly.

"And on top of that, the school's been locked down to prevent the previously mentioned evil wizard from attacking," the redhead continued to explain. "And he has also taken over Stella's dad, so now she has been kicked out of her own kingdom". She sighed. "It's a mess. Also, that representative guy I mentioned. Almost set him on fire. Was probably not a good idea".

"Bloom, what have we told you about setting people on fire?" Vanessa asked.

"I'm almost certain the subject never came up in the first place," the redhead replied.

"Let's just go with general fire safety rules and say that Smokey would not approve," Mike suggested.

"I guess so," Bloom chuckled. She sighed again and said: "I miss you. I miss you both, I miss Gardenia and I miss my friends".

"And I'm sure they're missing you too considering how often they come over here to ask about when you'll come back to Gardenia again," Vanessa said comfortingly. "Now, are you making sure to call them occasionally?"

"Of course I do," Bloom said. "It's just... It's just not the same".

"Of course it isn't, sweetie," Mike said. "But for now, it is for the best".

"I know, I know," Bloom said. "Though I admit I have been less than good at doing what's best".

"You said Sky was under this evil wizard guy's control, right," her father continued. "Why hasn't anyone done anything about that yet?"

"He says what the nobles want to hear, so they're not going to do anything about him just yet," Bloom explained.

"He's turned Sky into a common politician," Vanessa said.

"The horror," Mike jested. "Jokes aside, that does sound serious. So nobody is going to do anything about this then?"

"Faragonda said that several parties are looking into it, but they don't have the authority to just demand that Sky be handed over to them. As long as his family and the nobles think everything is A-OK, they're not going to let anyone take him away. Same deal with Stella's dad".

"Sounds like a heap of trouble," Vanessa said. "Try to stay out of it".

"I'll try to do that in the future," Bloom promised.

Her parents exchanged looks.

"Bloom, what did you do?" Vanessa asked suspiciously.

"Ehm... Well..." Bloom began and both her parents could imagine how she was probably twirling a lock her hair. "I might have tried to stop the evil wizard at one point. With the help of my sister. Didn't work. But we did rescue a mermaid queen, so it wasn't completely pointless".

"It says a lot about how our lives have turned out that I can hear that sentence without it causing as much as a raised eyebrow," Mike deadpanned.  
"Bloom, listen, I want you to be really careful," Vanessa insisted. "It almost went horribly wrong the two last years. I don't want you taking any unnecessary risks".

"I won't, Mom," Bloom promised. "Anyway, I gotta run. Sounds like my friends are back from class".

The call ended and Vanessa sighed. "She's going to interpret unnecessary very loosely, isn't she?" she asked her husband.

"Yeah. Sorry, that's probably my influence at play there," he offered apologetically and Vanessa couldn't help but laugh as he enveloped her in a comforting hug. "It'll be alright. Our daughter is as tough as they come".

"I know," Vanessa said as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Still, I worry".

"Well, of course," Mike said. "We are her parents. It's what we do".

...

Bloom stretched her arms as she entered to the common room. The place had changed a great deal since she first moved in, with furniture and installations having been replaced multiple times. Even this year the room had been altered, with a corner of the place now reserved for the pixies that now lived with the six fairies. The redhead looked around, noticed that her friends were present and was about to greet them when Stella cut her off with a worried: "I just got a call from Brandon. He said things are happening in Eraklyon".  
"Things?" the Dominian princess questioned.

"Obviously, not the good kind," Musa added dryly while Techna turned on the television.

"Greetings and welcome to the evening news," a newscaster reported. "We're televising live from the Eraklian castle, where, to the surprise of many, Crown Prince Sky Herakles just announced his engagement to Diaspro Tzeitel. We turn to our royalty expert John Fleecewood. John, it's been mere days since Sky announced to the worlds that he would eventually marry Diaspro. Isn't this a little hasty?"

"Well, James, tradition is that courtship usually last a couple of months," Fleecewood reported. "But that being said, it is not unprecedented. Some royals have felt that the courtship is unnecessary, as they have already decided to marry. In that case, moving ahead just makes more sense".

"This day's just getting worse and worse," Bloom grumbled as she buried her face in her hands. "First that representative from Domino and now this".

"Representative from Domino?" Aisha inquired.

"Some guy who told me how they all really wanted me to make some babies soon," Bloom explained. "I might have... Lost my temper a bit".

"Bloom, I could hear you and I was on the ground floor," Stella commented.

"Plus, hard to overlook how there's suddenly a burnt chair and rug waiting to be taken by the garbage collectors," Musa said.

"Okay, so I lost my temper a lot," Bloom said annoyed. "I'm just... I'm just tired of how I can't do anything without it apparently having political ramifications".

"But Bloom, as royals we are responsible for thousands of people," Aisha said. "It is no wonder that they look to us for guidance".

"Plus, you're the princess. Pretty sure they can't force you to do anything," Techna said.

"There are some old laws they could rely on, though they would require Faragonda's permission," Flora said.

"Laws?" Bloom inquired nervously.

"I know Domino had them. They allow restrictions to be placed upon royals if they are found to be putting the royal house of Domino in danger," Flora explained. "But as I said, since you are on Magicalis, they can't touch you without Faragonda's permission. And I do not doubt that she will do everything possible to keep you safe".

"In other news, Sky Herakles has dismissed notorious sorcerer Valtor as being a threat," the newscaster continued. "And he has been working on convincing the other realms that their resources are better spent on what he considers to be more pressing matters. It is hard to say if this has changed any minds, but it is certain that aid to the operations on Andros have not exactly been forthcoming".

"Married and full of bullshit," Techna said. "Sky's really getting stomped on by Vally".

"Vally? Really?" Musa asked.

"I'm still working on a proper one," the scarred girl admitted.  
"We have to do something," Bloom said. "We can't let Valtor ruin Sky's life like this".

"And what do you propose we do?" Flora asked. "Unless your plan is to go to Eraklyon and kidnap him, I do not see how... I was joking," she insisted when she suddenly saw the expression most of the other girls were suddenly wearing.

"No, no, it makes perfect sense," Techna insisted. "See, nobody official can do anything because protocol and shit. But we're not official".

"Do I have to remind you what happened last time we tried something like this?" the brunette asked, gesturing towards Aisha.

"Well, we did free the queen and I'm getting better at sensing my environment," the near-blind girl replied. "So I think it's fine".

"We cannot just march into the castle," Flora tried. "Especially not after what we did at the Unity Day party".

"I'm sure Brandon will give us a hand," Stella said. "Especially if I ask him nicely".

"And have you even considered transportation?" continued the Limphean brunette.

"You know, Riven's got the weekend off," Musa said. "I'm sure he would like to help".

"And Databoy too," Techna added.

Flora stared at them all, before slowly burrowing her face in her hands.

"Sorry, Flora, but Sky needs our help," Bloom said apologetically.

"I am amazed that the lot of you have the cerebral capacity to plan for this entire thing in less than a minute, yet cannot comprehend that it is a catastrophically bad idea," the brunette remarked.

"I will also have to sit this one out," Aisha said. "Not because I do not approve, but because I would be a burden with my current handicap".

"So, like, what now? You're not going to tell the teachers, are you?" Stella asked.

"And how would that stop you?" Flora asked exasperated. "Look, I agree that helping Sky is important. But do you really think we will be able to do it?"

"Others would probably be better suited for this," Bloom admitted. "But with the current political mess up, well... He needs help now, not in three years when some committee finally agrees to do something about this".

"Fine then," Flora sighed. "You will need my assistance for this. We will most likely get in trouble and when we get back, we will be punished for this".

"Yeah, but that's life," Musa said. "My dad almost detonated when he heard what we pulled on Andros. Sounded really weird, being torn between parental pride and anger".

"Now we just need to, like, figure out how we can get out without anybody being suspicious," Stella stated.

...

"Okay, so what are our options?" Musa quietly asked as the girls stood in a corner of the courtyard, observing the gate out of the school, where a shimmering blue field had descended. The entire school was surrounded by the same energy field, which made Bloom feel like she was living in a laser snow globe.

"Well, I could possibly make a minor disruptions with one of my gadgets," Techna offered.

"We shouldn't mess with the shield. It's too important," Bloom argued. "Maybe we could join an excursion and just drop off".

"They will come hunting for us immediately if we do that," Musa said. "We need to find an excuse to get out unsupervised. Maybe if we said that we were going shopping, but then how do we explain that we will be gone for a while?"

"I am amazed that you managed to come up with how to get us to Eraklyon, how to get us inside the castle and an outline of a plan for how we will get Sky," Flora mused. "And yet you still have not come up with an idea for one of the most important parts of this operation, namely how we get out of Alfea".

"This is hard," Musa said frustrated. "We need to come up with something both devious and clever that does not compromise the shield. This will require planning and we haven't got much time. Timmy and Riven will be touching down in the forest within the hour. We'll need a stroke of genius to come up with a way to get out within that timeframe".

"Hey, girls, like, I just talked with Griselda," Stella said as she walked up to them. "And she's agreed to let us out so we can go on a picnic with the boys".

Musa stared at her.

"Welp, there's your stroke of genius," Techna commented as she patted the black-haired musician on the back. "Let's go".

"Once again, there is something to be said about the power of simplicity," Flora commented as she followed Techna.

"Good job, Stella. Glad we can count on you," Bloom praised her blonde friend as she passed by.

"So," Stella began with a smug smile. "Genius, eh?"

"Yes, well, I can't really wriggle myself out of praising you for this," Musa admitted. "So yeah. Good job. Let's go".

"Good job? Sure it's not a brilliant stroke of genius, hmm?" Stella kept asking.

"Take what you can get, Stella," Musa replied.

"Eh, it's something," the Solarian blonde said with a shrug.

Just as the blonde had reported, Griselda waited for them by the gates and allowed a temporary opening to be formed, though she did warn the girls not to stay out too late.

"So, how late is too late?" Musa asked. "Just curious".

"How long are you planning on having a picnic?" came the deputy's counter question as she adjusted her glasses.

"Ah, we haven't set a time. We're just having one of those lazy, take it as it comes days," Techna said. "Ever had one of those?"

"No," came Griselda's simple response.

"Somehow, not surprised," Stella commented.

Leaving Alfea behind them, the five girls journeyed into the forested areas that surrounded the school, where they found a Red Fountain owl parked in one of the woodland's many big glades.

"Well, that didn't take you long," Riven commented as the faeries entered the ship. "I actually expected it to be a couple of hours before you would be able to get out of Alfea. How did you do it? Explosives?"

"We just went on a picnic," Stella replied as she sat down in one of the seats. "Tots don't need any special permission for that".

"Huh. Simple," Timmy mused. "Alright then, let us get going".

"Indeed," Techna declared. "Initiate operation boyfriend rescue".

"Yes, it wouldn't be a serious mission without some obnoxiously stupid codename, now would it?" Musa sarcastically stated.

The owl rumbled and started its ascent into the atmosphere.

"Alright, so we've been talking with Brandon," Timmy started. "And we have a plan. We'll drop you five off outside the castle, where after we'll go off and cause a distraction. With what happened at the Unity Day party, the guards will come running in no time. When they do, Brandon will sneak off and let you in. Afterwards, you'll have to improvise".

"Yes, that reminds me of a little thing I should bring up," Riven said as he turned his attention to the girls. "You are aware that you may have to hurt Sky, right?"

"What... What do you mean?" Bloom asked shocked.

"I mean what I said," the magenta-haired soldier insisted. "He's probably been ordered to resist coming with us. You might have to break his arms or hamstring him or something like that to secure him".

"Come on now, like, isn't that a little excessive?" Stella asked.

"No, actually not," Timmy agreed. "If Valtor tells Sky to kill you, he will do his best to do so. For his and your safety, you may have to make him completely incapable of fighting back".

"A mistake we made at the Unity Day party," Riven continued. "The moment they saw their chance... Should have brought a weapon or something".

"Would not have worked. The guards would have confiscated it," Flora stated.

"Probably. Even so, you will most likely have to hurt him. And trust me when I say that he will be thankful afterwards," Timmy said. "Sky would rather lose an arm for a couple of weeks than live as someone's puppet".

"I'll keep that in mind," Bloom said, though the thought made her uneasy.

...

A couple of hours later, their ship descended into the atmosphere of Eraklyon.

"Okay, let's go over this part of the plan one more time before showtime," Riven said as they descended ever closer to the snow-covered landscape. "We're going to fly as close to the castle as possible, drop you off and then jet away again. Should get the guards attention. Get to the servants entrance by the Labyrinth of Flowers. Brandon will be waiting for you there".

"Okay. One question," Musa brought up. "Where's that entrance?"

"Oh, I know where that one is," Stella said.

"Alright then. Get ready to get out," Riven reported. The girls unbuckled and headed for the cargo bay. "Touching down in five... Four... Three... Two... One... GO". At the exact same time as he gave the order, Timmy flipped the switch that opened the back hatch. Immediately the girls charged out into the dark and snowy woods that lay on one side of the castle, before they ran off towards the great structure with Stella in the front. Behind them, the owl jetted of again and it only took seconds before they could hear activity from the castle as the craft was noticed. As they neared the wall, they could see lights shining through the dark as guards began searching the area where the ship had briefly touched down. They reached a locked iron gate in the wall that surrounded the castle, a single lamp lighting up the area.

"Is that you, girls?" Brandon asked as he peaked out.

"Yes... It's us," Stella gasped. "Open up, like, the guards are swarming the woods".

"As expected," Brandon said as he opened the creaky gate. The faeries hurried through and the squire closed and locked it again. "Come, let's get away from here quickly. If the guards follow your tracks, we do not want to stay here and talk".

As they crossed the gardens, scorch marks still scarring the area with reminders of the Unity Day disaster, Bloom asked: "So how has Sky been?"

"Weird. He only vaguely remembers me walking in on you and him talking," Brandon replied. "I think the mind control is messing his memories up a little. Most of the time, he's the same good ol' Sky, but whenever I question this whole wedding thing he either completely changes personality or goes in circles until Diaspro can tell him what to think of it. Some of the servants have noticed it by now of course, but it has been dismissed as merely him being nervous about his upcoming wedding".

"Typical," Stella muttered annoyed.

"Do you have any suggestions as to how we can apprehend him?" Flora inquired.

"We might be able to corner him in his own room," the squire suggested. "Maybe even get him to follow us if Diaspro isn't there. If she is, this might be more difficult. She's been trying to keep Sky and me separated, though she can't fire me from my position without it seeming suspiciously random. So she has to tolerate my presence to a degree".

"I imagine she must be all giddy about this," Musa commented.  
"Hard to say. She seems to be both happy and sad," Brandon commented. "I guess that even if she feels that this is the right thing to do, she doesn't enjoys doing it". He opened a door and let the girls inside the much warmer castle.

"Shouldn't we be... You know, be wearing disguises?" Musa asked as they walked down the luxurious halls of the castle.

"Nah, as long as I'm with you and you don't say anything suspicious in front of people, they'll just assume you're allowed to be here," Brandon replied.

The group continued through the castle, occasionally passing guards or servants whom Brandon would often greet and have a short chat with. The girls just followed and tried to act natural. And just as the squire had said, the people just assumed they had good reason to be there and let them on their way.

As they went up a staircase towards Sky's private chamber, a walkie-talkie by Brandon's side made some scratching noise, followed by a woman reporting: "Brandon, you there?"

"What is it, Beatrice?" the squire asked.

"We've checked the disturbance. Two guys from your school with a busted radar. Apparently, they got lost on their way to Windfall," the guard reported.

"Eh, that happens. No reason to worry," Brandon replied. "Call me if anything important happens".

As he placed the walkie-talkie by his side, Techna asked: "Why don't you use those awesome earpieces they have on Red Fountain?"

"They're good for combat situations and the like," Brandon replied. "But setting up the proper network and the like can be a pain. Many just stick to the older system".

"Weird," the scarred girl noted.

They reached the top floor and the brunette soldier went up to it with a: "Okay, be careful. I know Sky's in there, but I'm not sure if Diaspro is". He gently opened the door and announced: "Hey, Sky, guess who's here to see you".

"Huh. Oh, hi Bloom," Sky said as he turned away from his wardrobe. He was wearing a blindingly white smoking. "How do I look?"

"Like a dapper snowman," Musa said as she blinked. "That suit's almost reflective".

"Yeah, but Diaspro liked it," the blonde replied. "By the way, Bloom, have you thought about what I said?" When he saw her confused look, he continued with: "Back at the Unity Day party. In the gardens. We talked. Brandon interrupted us".

Bloom cocked her head a bit, before asking: "Do you remember how that ended?"

"Yes. The dragons got loose. Thanks to Valtor, apparently," the blonde prince said.

"True, but do you remember what we did when that happened?" Bloom asked insistently.

"Yeah. We heard the noise and then me and Diaspro ran for safety," Sky said. He furrowed his brows as he remarked: "Though I can't recall what you did when that happened. Weird".

"May I add a question?" Flora inquired. When Sky allowed her to do so, she said: "If you were running away from the dragons, why did you run from the gardens through the open plaza where the party was? That was where the dragons were focusing their, if you will, attack".

"Well, because... That was... See, we had to get away from..." Sky began, his brows creasing as he put all of his energy into figuring out an answer. "We had to get away... From the... The dragons? No, then... What... We were running... From..."

"See. He doesn't remember," Brandon said. "Look buddy, you need help".

"No, no, I'm fine," Sky insisted. "I just can't recall it right now. It'll come to me any minute now. On the tip of my tongue, so to say".

"Trust us. It won't," Musa commented.

"Sky, we're here to help," Bloom insisted. "There's a reason you don't remember. Just like you didn't remember why you lied to me".

"What? I lied to you? When?" Sky asked.

"You said that your announcement would be about us dating so we could avoid some of the media circus," Bloom continued. "Instead, you used it to suddenly announce that you were going to marry Diaspro. How is that not lying? You didn't even mention we were dating".

"Well... That was... I was..." the blonde prince said as his face scrunched up. "No... I wanted to... That was because..."

"The bars are down and the lights are blinking," Stella commented. "But there ain't coming any train".

"Sky, your memory is messed up. We can get you help," Brandon insisted as he stepped closer. "Come with us and we'll see to it that your head is fixed".

"No," Sky said sharply as he took a step back. "I can't come with you".

"Why?" Bloom asked.

"Because you... Because... Well, Diaspro said it would be a bad idea, because..." Sky said as he struggled to make sense of things.

"See. Your brain has been shackled," Brandon said as he took a step forward. "As your squire, I am authorised to assist you in whatever way needed. And what's needed right now is that you come with us so we can get your head fixed".

"What's going on in here?" a voice asked and everyone turned to see Diaspro standing shocked in the doorway.

The moment attention was away from him, Sky tried to dash around the group. Brandon and Flora immediately leapt for him, but the blond barely evaded them and managed to reach Diaspro. "They're trying to take me away," he said as he turned towards them, fists raised defensively.

"Bloom, what are you doing here?" Diaspro asked completely flabbergasted.

"I'm here to save Sky," the redhead said.

"Yeah. The rest of us are mostly here for the free entertainment," Musa quipped. "In all seriousness though, what you have done to Sky is appalling".

"I... I admit that it sometimes does... Weird things to him," Diaspro said sadly. "But I've been assured that it won't harm him".

"By whom? Valtor?" Stella asked. "Not exactly a trustworthy source".

"So Caleb is Valtor. I figured as much," Diaspro admitted. "Especially after his so-called distraction".

"Then why are you working with him? He is a dangerous criminal," Flora asked.

"Because I owe him everything," Diaspro said. "He gave me my life back. And he's been trying to help both Sky and Bloom. He could solve all the problems in our relationship, if you weren't too stubborn to admit that you don't have what it takes to be queen," she said, glaring at the redhead.

"And what about Sky's right to choose for himself?" Musa asked annoyed.

"Tots wrong girl to ask that question," Stella commented.

"Diaspro, I know this is a foreign concept to you, but just because something is for the best doesn't mean you can force it on others," Brandon said. "And that's if we agree that this is for the best, which is not even the case".

The noble blonde threw a glance over her shoulder, before continuing with: "Look, Bloom, I really do want to help you. I don't understand why you keep rejecting my assistance. Surely you must have felt by now the pressure that comes with your position. There's so much you've experienced and even more to come. We could all work this out peacefully if you didn't want to keep Sky for yourself".

"What I want is for people to keep their politics out of my private life," Bloom argued.

"We don't have private lives," Diaspro shot back. "Bloom, we're the top. Everybody looks up to us".

"You wish," Musa snorted.

"Everything we do and everything we say signals things to our fellow nobles and people," the blonde continued, ignoring the remark. "That is a fact. It is not something we can escape. Instead, by embracing it we can mould our message to be beneficial. You can't have a relationship without politics because you're a princess. But the solution I've offered you is the closest you can come to it. So why do you reject it when it could help give us all what we want?"

"You know, maybe I could warm up to the idea of being a concubine. Maybe I could accept it. Maybe it was just the culture shock that threw me for a loop," Bloom said with a shrug. "But what you have done to Sky is unacceptable, Diaspro. I feel for you that your family has robbed you of all respect for free will, but that does not mean I'll roll over and be a good little girl while you mistreat people I care about".

Diaspro began looking more and more nervous as she kept throwing glances over her shoulder.

"What are you, like, looking for?" Stella asked. "We're the only ones here".

"And you have specifically requested that personnel and guards stay out of this wing unless absolutely necessary," Brandon continued. "So I don't know who you're looking for".

"I think she's stalling, waiting for guards to arrive," Techna said. "At least, that's probably why she's hammering that silent alarm button like it's going to give her an orgasm".

Everyone starred at the scarred girl.

"What, I blocked the signal. Didn't say anything because you were having one of those hero villain exposition confrontations," Techna said with a shrug. "It's just bad manners to interrupt those".

"Your ability to summarize important events in terms of fictional narrative tropes is astounding," Flora remarked a tad dryly.

"I aim to please," the magenta-haired girl replied with a smile.

"So yeah, we'll be taking Sky with us now if you don't mind," Brandon said as he returned his attention to the two. "Or if you do mind. It really doesn't matter".

Diaspro made a sudden swipe with her arms and several gems from her jewellery jetted out towards the group. They ducked and the projectiles flew harmlessly over them, but Sky and Diaspro took the opportunity to charge down the halls.

"AFTER THEM!" Musa yelled as the group broke into a run. They charged down the hall and followed the fleeing pair down the stairs.

"I can't get a good aim," Stella huffed as they turned down another hallway. "They keep going around the corners".

"Just get ready to shoot," Brandon replied. "Aim for his back or his legs though. Those we can fix".

They rounded another corner and ran into a grand hall. The sides were lined with huge sets of decorated armour, with beautiful banners decorating the walls. Not far from them, Sky was helping Diaspro, who had tripped in her high heels, up from the floor.

"This ends now," Brandon declared as he charged forward, drawing his great sword as he did.

Sky responded by grabbing a shield from one of the displayed armours and used it to block the attack. He pushed back, but Brandon stepped to the side and the blond stumbled. His squire made a sweep for the legs, but Sky jumped over it and lashed out with the shield, almost hitting Brandon in the head the process.

"For fucks sake, Diaspro, call him off before somebody gets hurt!" Techna ordered.

"Why don't you stop trying to ruin my life?!" Diaspro angrily yelled back. "Everything was finally as it should be! And now you're ruining it!"

Sky made another attempt at swinging the shield at his squire, but Brandon ducked under the blow, grabbed Sky and used the prince's momentum to hurl him through the air. With a yell, the blond crashed into three sets of armours that collapsed on him.

"SKY!" Diaspro yelled in shock and stepped towards him.

"You stay right where you are!" Musa threatened as she drew her fans. "You've done enough already".

"Look, we understand that your current situation has placed you in a very unfortunate position," Flora said, hand on her seedbag. "But though you may have meant well, you are still assisting a dangerous criminal in controlling this kingdom. If you really cared for Sky, you would respect his opinion, but instead, you have buried it with magic".

"Sky was okay with marrying me until she came into the picture," Diaspro replied while pointing at Bloom. "How is that any more okay?"

"Maybe because Sky respects my feelings on the subject. I never forced him into anything," Bloom berated Diaspro. "He could have rejected it and that would have been fine. Then we probably never could have anything like a relationship, but it would be okay. What you're doing is just wrong".

"Now, now, Phila, is love and control really that different?" Sky asked as he rose out of the pile, his voice suddenly very different. "After all, his feelings for you did change his perspective on his arranged marriage whether he liked it or not. So what is the difference?"

The people stared at Sky. On his hand, another stylized V was present, but this one was glowing.

"Valtor," Bloom said in realization. "Wait... What did you call me?"

"I am only burrowing his body for now, actually," the possessed Sky said, ignoring the question. "I am far too busy with my recent projects to actually come in person, but I cannot just let you ruin everything I've worked for here on Eraklyon". He adjusted the slightly ruined tuxedo. "Go back to Alfea, faeries. You are interfering in matters far beyond your capabilities. I thought I had demonstrated as much last time we met".

"Yeah, but you only got Squire's body now," Techna pointed out. "So I'm not exactly scared".

"As if that will be a significant hindrance," Valtor in Sky stated in a way indicating that the very thought was ludicrous. "This will be my final warning. Leave now or I will break you".

"What are you doing to Sky?" Diaspro asked horrified.

"Don't worry, all changes are reversible," Valtor assured her. "Though he won't remember a thing, so you should probably spend the next... What will it be, five minutes or so, on thinking up an explanation he can parrot to anybody asking".

"Confident, aren't we?" Musa commented as she and the others got ready to attack Sky.

"What, you think mere numbers will decide this?" the possessed prince asked incredulously. "How about I demonstrate to you just a sliver of the potential my power has. You want your knight in shining armour back? Well, now you'll get him. In spades," he remarked. Valtor's mark began pulsating with power and the white tuxedo began ripping apart as Sky's muscles grew exponentially. His blond hair began receding and fading, while bone-white plates began growing out of his skin. The finger bones of his right hand began extending out of the flesh and merged, forming a gruesome curved blade, while his other hand twisted into a massive buckler of fused bones and callouses. The transformed prince took a step forward, crushing the helmet of one of the armours under his heavy foot. "Now," he continued, facial features barely visible under the bony plates that covered his head as he towered over the faeries. "Still feeling confident?"

"That is grotesque," Flora remarked with abhorrence in her voice.

"We are not afraid of you," Bloom snarled as she got ready to fight.

"And we will free Sky," Brandon added defiantly.

In the corner, Diaspro crawled away backwards with a horrified expression.

With a roar, the colossal mutant prince charged forward, swinging the massive armblade. The group dodged to the sides as the organic sword cleft one of the suits in twain, metal crumbling and splitting beneath the bone blade's edge.

Brandon charged forward and swung his blade, but it smashed against the mutant's shield without effect. The transformed prince shoved the shield full force into the squire and the brunette was launched through the room.

Bloom and Stella began blasting the thing with their respective knacks, but the plated hide served as good protection. It turned towards them, raising its bladed arm over its head as it prepared to bring it down upon them. Thinking quickly, Stella flashed a bright light as they dodged, causing Valtor to miss and smash the blade into the floor.

Seeing that he was momentarily distracted, Flora hurled a handful of seeds at his back, which immediately sprouted into thick vines that attempted to constrain the hulking mutant. But the possessed prince merely flexed his muscles, wet flesh glistening between the bony plates, and the vines burst apart.

Musa fired a blast of sound in an attempt to daze the monstrosity, but the transformed prince just shook his head with a grunt and then charged, forcing the two girls back as he swung his blade again and again with deadly precision, antique armours falling apart left and right.

Techna ran up at him from behind, intending to plant the electric end of her weapon in between the mutant's armour plates, but Valtor was keenly aware of his environment and suddenly jerked his arm back, smashing the scarred girl in the face with an armoured elbow. Techna stumbled back dizzily, blood seeping from her injured face as she tripped over broken pieces of armour.

"Even if you could hurt me, I could heal any injury you could cause," Valtor warned them. "You lost this fight the moment it started".

"OH YEAH! WELL TAKE THIS, YOU UGLY BRUTE!" Stella yelled as she blasted at the giant's face with her light. But this time, Valtor was ready, shaping the prince's eyes to adjust to the flaring light and jabbed his blade towards Stella. The Solarian princess realised too late that her attack had no effect and that she was seconds away from being run through.

Brandon dashed into her, roughly shoving her away. The blade smashed through his side, splintering ribs and carving organs as it went through.

"BRANDON!" Stella yelled in shock as droplets of her lover's blood sprayed over her.

Without pause, Valtor ripped the blade free of the brunette and turned, only to be faced with a roaring wave of fire.

"YOU! WILL! PAY!" Bloom yelled angrily as she let the dragonflame empower her magic.

The mutant raised its shield, flames washing over its bony hide, and began slowly stomping through the flames. Bloom gasped as she tried to increase the power of her fiery assault. The flames slowly changed colour as Bloom pumped more and more energy into her attack, her fingers blistering as her dragonflame provided more power than she could resist. Then a massive armoured foot lashed out of the inferno and smashed into her, launching her back. She barely had time to regain focus before the tip of Valtor's blade pressed against her throat.

"I told you I had won," Valtor said. "Now then, either you leave or we will fight until all of you are bleeding clumps of meat on the floor. What will it be?"

Everyone stared at the tense standoff.

"You win," Bloom finally sighed as she surrendered.

"I know," Valtor replied as he retracted the blade. "You will vacate the premise immediately. The squire stays. I will ensure medical attention for him as soon as I'm sure you're all gone".

Bloom stared angrily at the mutated form of Sky, before slowly getting up. She eyed Brandon, who lay gasping on the floor. Then she slowly turned around and walked away, the other girls following her.

...

"He let you go?" Riven asked incredulously after having picked them up. "Why?"

"Dunno. He could have killed Bloom," Musa stated. "Could have killed all of us in fact".

"Dammit," Stella hissed. "Now he has both Sky and Brandon".

"Don't feel bad, Stella," Timmy reassured her. "No one could have predicted just how much control those marks afforded Valtor. I have never heard of anything like this before".

"So now, anyone Valtor has marked can suddenly turn into some fucking abomination," Techna said, her voice distorted due to her injured nose. "That's fucking horrifying".

"I agree," Flora said. "Sky was just an ordinary, if well-trained human. The thought of what Valtor could do with a stronger body is indeed terrifying. Imagine what he could have done with the dragons if he had desired for them to kill us all".

"At least he doesn't seem to want to kill us," Musa said. "Granted, I'm not sure being his mind-controlled slave is much better". She looked at Bloom, who quietly sat staring out of the window. "Hey, how are you holding up, Bloom?"

"I feel sad," the redhead admitted. "That I couldn't help Sky when he needed it the most. I feel powerless and angry. But besides that... I can't help but wonder why he called me Phila?"

"Huh?" Riven asked.

"Phila. It's my birth name. Valtor called me it when he first controlled Sky," Bloom said.

"As a Dominion noble, it is likely that he heard of you," Flora suggested. "And considering that he spent most of the time between then and now in stasis, he might not have had time to adjust to everything".

"Point," Bloom sighed in agreement.

"Alright, we're near Alfea. The teachers are probably going to be kinda pissed, so yeah," Riven stated. "Good luck".

"Thanks for the support," Musa mumbled as they got out.

"Hey," she heard Riven's voice and she turned around. "You did a good job," he reassured her. Musa gave him a warm smile before leaving the owl.

As they approached their school, night having fallen over the land hours ago, they found the gate empty, all entry blocked by the shield.

"What now? Do we sleep out here?" Stella asked.

"That seems like it will be our only option," Flora offered. "Magicalis is too far away to walk and there will not be any buses going for the next three hours".

"Relax, I got this," Techna said. She went up to the shield, pulled a strange apparatus out of her backpack and placed it on the shield. A digital watch had been embedded in the strange jumble of wired, metal pieces and silverware. Techna pressed a button and seconds later, an opening formed in the shield. "Quickly, while the disruption lasts," the scarred girl said and the girls hurried through, the shield closing behind them.

"I do not think tampering with the shield was a smart move," Flora admonished as they crossed the schoolyard.

Suddenly, several lights turned on and pointed at the girls, making it seem as if a little slice of day had landed in the courtyard.

"Trust me. It's not the only stupid move you've made today," Griselda noted as she marched towards them. She was constantly squeezing and shaping something in her hand which at first glance looked like a clay stress ball from the way it was moulded by the deputy's fingers, but Bloom quickly realised that it was actually a piece of granite.

"Ehm, hey there Griselda," Stella said nervously. "Funny story..."

"I do not care for what stories you have cooked up, Miss Guildenstern," Griselda said sharply. "I care more for your health. Those of you who are injured will go to Ophelia, the rest will go to your common room. We will discuss this later. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Miss Griselda," the girls said as they hurried into the school, where Techna broke off from them to go get her face fixed.

"What a couple of days," Musa grumbled. "First nobles try to turn Bloom into a broodmare, then we fuck up saving Sky from being brainwashed into a wedding. If I hear anything else about marriage, I'll frickin' scream. Swear by the spirits I will".

They entered the common-room, where Aisha was waiting for them with the pixies. "Oh, you're back," the princess of Tides noted. "I got news from my parents. They have finally decided who I am going to marry".

"Do you think you could, like, find a pillow first or something?" Stella said to Musa as Aisha looked at them with confusion apparent in her eyes. "I have a totally massive headache".


	10. Valtor's Stratagem

Chapter 10: Valtor's Stratagem

"Adaptive transformations are a difficult thing to do," Wizgiz began his lecture. "Do not feel ashamed if ye never get it right. Most magi will not. But learning about it is important. Now, which of ye have an idea of what exactly adaptive transformations are? Yes, Jonas?"

"Well, I guess it's when you transform to adapt to something," the freckled boy guessed.

"Well, yes. I suppose the name is slightly non-indicative," the leprechaun admitted. "See, any magi worth his or her salt can transform into a form adapted to a certain challenge. What we call adaptive transformations are when magi adopt a new form, adjusting their body the moment they become exposed to harmful environments. It is the difference between giving yerself gills because ye will be going swimming and giving yerself gills while drowning. Do ye now see why few magi can pull it off? Yes, Miranda?"

"Because transformations takes a lot of concentration," the glasses bearing girl suggested.

"Very good. Yes, usually transformations take a long time," Keefe explained. "But if yer transformation powers are great enough, you can develop such an intimate understanding of yer body that ye can change it on the fly. I myself am capable of this, but I have a knack fer it, so I suppose that helps a lot". He adjusted his clothes for a moment. "The greater a magi's capability for adaptive transformations are, the tougher they become. They become capable of fixing wounds as they occur, adapt to extremes of hot and cold, and become immune to infections, toxins and poison. A true master of adaptive transformations can seem almost immortal, until he or she runs out of energy that is. It is an intensely draining technique and thus best used sparingly, even when you have mastered it".

In her seat, Stella barely paid attention to the subject as she kept checking her phone, hoping she would get a text message or something that would indicate that Valtor had kept his word. But all she had gotten was silence. Part of her feared the worst, while another figured that Valtor intentionally had kept Brandon away from any means of communication. She sighed. Her father, her home, her ring and now her boyfriend. Valtor had slowly deprived her of everything. She only had her friends and her school left, the former which had been threatened by Valtor and the latter which everyone was certain would be at some point.

When class finally ended, she morosely marched out of the room. As if everything else hadn't been bad enough, the threat of being punished for the excursion to Eraklyon still hung over their heads. Griselda had just yet to come up with something. She had been furious. Furious that they had run off again, furious that they had risked creating a major incident in an already politically unstable situation and furious that they had tampered with the shield. The blonde felt that the latter was completely unfair. Techna had pulled that stunt rather spontaneously.

"Hello there, Stella," the blonde heard a tired Bloom say and she looked up to see the redhead approaching. "How's it going?"

"I'm worried about Brandon," Stella replied. "I feel... I feel really bad about leaving him behind".

"So do I," the redhead said. "Could barely get a moment of sleep. I feel like we abandoned him".

"Yeah, that's exactly how I feel," Stella agreed. "But I know it's silly. If he had been conscious, I know he would have told us to go. But by now, Valtor has probably branded him, so even if I were able to contact him I doubt I could even trust a word he says".

"Yeah. It's the same with Sky," Bloom said. "It was so uncomfortable seeing him like that. Trapped between being himself and somebody's puppet. And what Valtor did to him..." The Dominian princess shuddered. "I never want to see anything like that ever again".

"If we do what Flora has suggested and, like, stay away from Valtor, that should be feasible," Stella commented.

"Speaking of Flora, that was why I came here to find you," Bloom said as she remembered something. "Flora has invited us over for tea. Said that she thought we could use a calm moment of relaxation after everything we've been through".

"Oh. Are the others coming?" Stella inquired.

"Well, Flora is going to invite them," Bloom replied. "More than that, I cannot say. You'll just have to show up and see".

Stella considered it for a moment, before saying: "You know what? Let's have a tea party. I agree with Flora. I could totally use some good ol' RnR after everything I've been through these last couple of days".

...

The feeling of the warm and soothing liquid settling in her stomach made Bloom feel better in seconds. "Now I understand why Faragonda likes it so much," she sighed happily, as she put the cup down.

"Especially with us giving her more headaches with our crazy adventures," Techna added. "Would have made her entire mane grey if it hadn't been so from the get go".

"I do feel a bit guilty about that," Stella admitted as she poured herself another cup. "But we couldn't just let Sky remain Valtor's puppet". She paused for a bit. "Although now it really seems like we did nothing but make it worse".

"What we will be getting is nothing compared to what Timmy and Riven will face," Flora said. "Unauthorized use of military resources that also end up involving civilians is serious business". She paused for a moment, drinking her tea speculatively. "Although they might consider the fact that Sky was a team-mate a mitigating circumstance. The rules of Red Fountain clearly states that you are never to leave a team-mate behind unless it is absolutely necessary".

"So what now?" Aisha asked.

"I guess Valtor is going to pull something else one of these days," Musa answered. "You heard him. He said he had projects going on. I doubt that was just a bluff".

"Yeah, Mr. Fancy-Pants ain't exactly the bluffing type," Techna agreed.

"Fancy-Pants?" Stella asked.

"Well, I would normally go with Creepy-Pants, but it feels kinda wrong to rob that title from Amentia," the scarred girl responded. "She sacrificed herself and deserves to keep her title".

"I'm sure she would be honoured," Musa commented dryly while putting some sugar in her tea.

"Generally, Valtor seems to use two types of strategies," Flora said. "Manipulative or direct strategies. Either he uses himself and his forces for brutal but precise attacks, or he manipulates people into doing things for him. Depending on his goal, he might use either or both".

"So what you are saying is that we know jack shit?" Techna asked.

"In regards to what his next move will be, yes," Flora replied. "We do not know nearly enough of him to give educated guesses for either his target nor for how he will get to said target. As we saw with Sky, Valtor is also very much capable of hiding trump cards until required by circumstance to use them, so that is also a thing to keep in mind".

"Damn," Bloom mumbled. "But how about Sky? He's already talking about how little a threat Valtor is. What will that do?"

"Most likely, he and Radius will both dismiss Valtor as a threat, which will steer public opinion away from a unified effort at capturing him," Musa said. "Both are rather well-liked. You can already see in the polls how their opinions are changing minds".

"Doesn't help that Sky claims that the dragons were there to scare Androsian nobles," Stella continued.

"And with King Radius in agreement, that basically means that neither Solaria nor Eraklyon are allowing notable people from Andros in due to the so-called danger their presence poses," Aisha reported.

"But Valtor attacked Espero. How are people just ignoring that?" Techna asked incredulously.

"Because Valtor merely defeated a couple of guards. It is easy to blame lax security," Flora explained. "And they have rebuffed fears of a repeat of Domino by claiming that Valtor only could pull that off thanks to the Ancestral Witches. No evidence of that, of course, but people want to hear that. They want to believe that Valtor is only a threat because some military idiots are not doing their jobs".

"That's annoying," Musa commented. "But I can't be too angry. I can understand just wanting this problem to go away. But Valtor won't be weakened by people thinking happy thoughts at him really hard".

"Indeed. And we know the Paladin Order and the Roccalucian Order are both assisting in his recapture," Flora added. "But although both are powerful organizations in their own right, they still require aid from supportive countries. If Radius and Sky can convince other countries to pull their support, it will become that much harder to stop Valtor".

"At least we know where he is," Aisha offered. "His fortress is quite noticeable, so it will only be a question of time before they get him".

...

Darcy walked through the fortress they were occupying, making her way to Valtor's private chamber. She sported a quite noticeable black eye, a souvenir from Icy she got during training. She had to admit, the two of them were getting good. Not quite her level, but certainly learning fast enough to take her by surprise. She felt a slight tinge of pride at the thought and began wishing she had pushed for the two of them to develop those skills earlier, rather than trying to plan around it. Maybe things would have looked much different if those two could have handled a punch or two. She shook her head as she ascended some stairs. Speculating in hypothetical outcomes of past events was pointless. She could do nothing about her past failures but learn from them.

As she approached Valtor's chamber, she heard his muffled voice behind the door say: "...course I am. Would have preferred to keep an eye on things myself, but things did not go as planned. But even so, I will not allow..." Darcy knocked on the door and Valtor went silent inside. Seconds later, he opened it with a: "Ah, hello Darcy. I assume you and the others are done packing your stuff".

"What little we had, yes," the dirty-blonde replied. She looked past Valtor into his now mostly empty bedroom, the stuff he wanted to keep packed into boxes. "Who were you talking to?"

"An old acquaintance of mine that I've gotten into contact with recently," the dandy magi replied. "I should probably introduce you all at some point. But not now, we have things to do". The two of them descended the stairs and met up with Icy and Stormy in the great hall that had served as dining room for the four of them.

"So, where are we going?" Stormy asked.

"I have a few destinations in mind," Valtor said as he sat down by the table. "Many of them being places that contain the artefacts that I seek. Locations on Horus, Magicalis, Harmony and even a few on Limphea".

"Let's not go to Limphea. One of my uncles died there," Stormy said. "Along with twenty-seven other people".

"How did that occur?" Darcy asked.

"They forgot to close a window, apparently," Stormy replied. "Other than that, no clue. The coroner didn't have enough to work with".

"What about Harmony or Magicalis? Both of those are rather nice planets," Icy suggested.

"Fair enough. Not all targets are possibly bases of operations for us, of course," Valtor said. "I have specifically chosen those that I felt we would be able to hold onto for a while". With a wave of his hands, several illusions of different buildings popped up on the table.

"A lot to choose from," Stormy commented. "Wait, is that...?"

"Cloud Tower," Icy said as she eyed it. "Yes, let's go there".

"Come on, really?" the wild-haired witch asked. "Haven't we fucked that place up enough?"

"But it is an easily defendable location," Darcy argued. "If we can wrest control of it".

"Oh, do not worry. I have ideas for how we can accomplish that," Valtor said. "You went to school there, correct? What can you tell me?"

"Well, most students and teachers are nice enough," Stormy said. "But no, seriously, let's go somewhere else. Griffin will kill us if we try to pull another stunt at her school".

"Griffin?" Valtor inquired, eyebrow raised.

"Yes. Headmistress Guinevere Griffin," Darcy elaborated. "A well-educated and powerful witch. Well-respected by many. Clever and not to be underestimated".

Valtor's eyebrows had almost reached his hairline. "Now that," he started. "That is interesting". He smirked. "We are most definitely going to Cloud Tower".

"Great. Because taking over Cloud Tower hasn't resulted in enough bruises yet," Stormy groaned. "No, sir. We're going to take it over a third time, because Dragon knows we just can't get enough of being beaten up. We're all fucking masochistic let me tell you. I so look forward to getting hurled down a fucking staircase again. Or maybe I can get somebody to almost crush me with a bookshelf. That's always fun".  
"Well, she'll be going on for a while," Darcy commented wryly.

"Yes, I notice that I may have hit a rather... Sore spot," Valtor mused.

"So why the interest in Griffin?" the dirty-blonde inquired.

"It's a long story and I'd rather get going," Valtor replied. "Remind me to tell you about it when we sit by a roaring fire in Cloud Tower. Those are always good for stories".

...

Cloud Tower had, like the other schools, improved their defences considerably, ever since Griffin had deemed that the school could become a target of Valtor. A dome of dark energy now separated the school from the outside world, operated by the living building itself. Though other than making entering and leaving a much more complicated process, Valtor's reappearance had done little to affect the daily lives of the witches that studied there. One afternoon, one of the witch students was walking by one of the windows when she saw a quite peculiar sight. The dark dome was transparent enough that the outside world could be seen, which was necessary in order to allow some light to slip through. And through the dome, the witch could see a cerynitis, a golden, deer-esque animal that lived in the woods of Magicalis, panicking scraping at the dome. The witch hurried down the stairs and opened the front door, hoping to find out what had the animal so spooked. Then she saw them. Three vicious looking wargs stalking out of the forest.

"Welp, that thing is dinner," a male student commented.

"We can't just let them eat it," the female witch argued.

"Why not? That's just nature," another witch stated.

"Oh come on, that's just cruel," a fourth witch protested.

As the students that had quickly gathered to see what was going on began discussing the finer points of morality versus nature, the female student who had first seen the animal made a decision and pressed the button to open the shield temporarily. Due to its rather sparse staff, Griffin had decided that the students should at least be able to leave on their own now that there wouldn't always be a teacher around to let them out. Though they had been warned to not abuse it to let everybody they wanted in.

The cerynitis stumbled through the barrier the moment the hole opened. The three wargs ran up to the barrier, but found themselves stymied by the barrier. The barred their teeth and growled angrily at their escaped prey.

Though free from the predators, the woodland animal still looked rather nervous at the sight of the students.

"It's okay. We won't hurt you," the witch who had let it in gently said as she approached. She carefully petted in and the critter visibly relaxed. "It's okay. You're safe here," she cooed as the other students approached.

"Wow, it's almost completely tame," the male witch remarked as he petted it on the head.  
"We should probably look for wounds. The wargs may still have managed to bite it," one witch murmured as she began inspecting it. She touched its side, only to jerk her hand back with a: "Ouch. What the..." And then her mind shut down. The students stared blankly at the cerynitis as stylish V's appeared on their hands. The animals suddenly changed, flesh and bones shifting, as Valtor re-assumed his human form. He took a second to stretch himself, before summoning his clothes.

Outside the barrier, the illusions faded and the three wargs became the three usurpers.  
"Wow. You're... Buff," Stormy noted.

"Benefit of my magic," Valtor noted proudly. "I am always in peak physical condition".

Far above them, Griffin was going through the financial reports as well as going through the tax code. This was one of the parts the witch headmistress could say that she truly despised about her job. She hated the paperwork, she hated going through complicated lists of numbers and she hated having to read tomes of nothing but obfuscating legalese texts designed to keep people as uninformed as possible. She was truly jealous of Faragonda for having an assistant like Griselda that actually enjoyed going through this kind of stuff. In Cloud Tower, they usually held card game tournaments to decide who got the less than pleasant jobs. And this year, it had ended up being Griffin's turn. There was a knock on her door and she said: "Come in". There was a slight pause. "Come in". Nothing. She sighed. Probably one of the new students that was trying to make fun of her. That always happened. She usually played along a couple of times and then ordered Cloud Tower to pull them through the door the next time they tried. Their faces were usually good for a laugh. Though she did wish they would have waited until she was done calculating income and expenses. She knew she would need a good laugh then. Plus a drink.

She sighed and opened the door, making a show of look around confused. Then she closed it and was about to return to her desk, only to be truly surprised.

"Hello again, Guinevere," Valtor said, lounging in her chair. "It's been a while".

"Valtor," Griffin said, acknowledging his presence. "I figured you'd find your way through the barrier sooner or later. Though I'd vastly preferred it would have been later".

"Really now, is that a way to greet an old acquaintance?" the dandy magi asked. "Telling me you rather that I didn't come visiting".

"Well, I am in the middle of doing taxes," Griffin noted. "So your visit is rather inconvenient".

Valtor paused for a moment, before glancing at the papers on the desk. "Looks complicated," he noted. "Never took you for one who would one day sit down and fiddle with taxes".

"Yes, well, that's life," Griffin sighed.  
"It doesn't need to be," Valtor said. "We had fun once. Did things our way. We could go back to how things were, Guinevere. I can forgive and forget if you can. I could use somebody with your skills and talents".

"I'm flattered," Griffin said with a slight smile. She chuckled and stated: "Really, I am. And part of me is really intrigued by your offer". She sighed. "But I saw how it ended last time and I will have to say no to your offer, Valtor. As you have no doubt noted, I have grown up since those days. I have responsibilities and people I care for. And I've put too much of my hate behind me to even want to take up my old lifestyle". She smiled and asked: "Tell me, how often does that 'appear in room mysteriously and offer solutions to everything' routine work?"

"Surprisingly often," Valtor admitted with a smirk. "People will always be willing to ignore such strange things if they see a great prize in it happening".

"Indeed. You always did have a knack for manipulating people," Griffin agreed. She paused for a bit, before adding: "In more ways than one I suppose. So, I take it you're here for the school's artefacts".

"Well, yes, there's that," Valtor admitted. "Though I was planning on staying here for a while. I've got business in the area and this is conveniently close to much of it".

"I figured," Guinevere sighed. "As headmistress of Cloud Tower, I must inform you that that is not acceptable".

Valtor was silent for a moment, lost in thoughts. "What happened?" he finally asked. "We used to be a team. Working with the Ancestral Witches, running through the multiverse, having fun and establishing our own path in life. And then you suddenly betrayed us. I spent seventeen years in stasis on Omega thanks to you". He sounded genuinely sad at the memory. "What went wrong?"

"Valtor, I was young and stupid," Griffin replied. "I was laughed out of every social circle in Popularis. I joined up with the Ancestral Witches because their philosophy of the superiority of witches appealed to me. I hated the world that had rejected me and I wanted to stomp on it". She paused. "Cannot deny I went a bit mimi back then. But I only wanted to stomp on the people that made my suffering possible, not just whomever was conveniently nearby".

"Indeed. We were pretty restrained compared to some of the other Coven members," Valtor admitted. "Remember Mandragora? Terrible woman".

"A complete psycho," Griffin agreed. "But the thing is, what you wanted to do, that was unacceptable. That was going too far. I knew I would never be able to look at myself in the mirror again if I just let it happen. That is why I joined with the Company of Light". She paused. "Though I never meant for you to get banished to Omega".

"What, because of Domino?" Valtor asked. "As if I couldn't have fixed that".

"That's not what I was talking about and you know it," Griffin said sharply, looking Valtor straight in the eyes. "Don't forget that I know you. And that I long ago figured out what motivates you".

"Well, if it makes you happy I can tell you that I dropped that plan after the fall of the Ancestral Witches," Valtor replied. "I must admit, I'm glad you told me how you felt. It was really bothering me, especially since it feels like it has only been months since we worked together. I find it rather funny how, despite all we've done together, in the end you've been rewarded with this sweet headmistress position and I have been erased from my country's history, doomed to be an inter-dimensional bogeyman. But hey," he said, folding his hands with a smirk. "I make for a pretty good bogeyman. And fact is that I can't have you trying to stop me again. It's nothing personal of course".

"Don't underestimate me, Valtor," Griffin said, wind twirling around her form. "I've had years to train and study. I am far stronger than I was back then".

"Indeed. But fact is, that's not enough to beat me," Valtor said and suddenly clenched his hands.

Griffin stiffened as burning pain exploded in her back. She fell on her knees as it felt like somebody showed a heated knife into her spine. She gasped and groaned in pain, tears welling in her eyes as she tried to focus through the haze. She lost control of her legs and her mind was clouded with a fog of thick agony.

"That would be the nerves in your thoracic spine I'm clenching right now," Valtor explained. "Circa sixth to eleventh vertebrae. You see, I don't need the fine control my mark affords me to pluck your nerves like a violin".

Griffin clenched her teeth, fighting to even think with the pain hammering her skull. She weakly raised a hand, ready to direct her magic towards Valtor. She suddenly felt a glowed hand grasp hers.

"Goodnight, Guinevere," Valtor offered, before the headmistress collapsed.

The door to the office opened and the Usurpers stepped in.

"I take it she refused your offer," Darcy noted as she eyed the headmistress.

"Indeed. Not surprising, but she deserved the offer at least," Valtor said. The floor under the unconscious headmistress undulated and she was sucked through. "So, everything under control out there?"

"Surprisingly, yes. Everything appears to be in order," Stormy reported genuinely surprised. "Your plan worked without a hitch". She paused for a moment. "Well, without any hitch I can think off at the moment".

"Then we just need to take care of one thing," the well-dressed sorcerer said. "I have found out that Griffin placed the Blade of Blackfire in the vaults beneath the school. That is what originally made me interested me in this school. We should take it for ourselves".

"Well then, let's get going," Icy said and the group left the office. "By the way, I am curious," the white-haired witch continued. "What about your soldiers on Andros?"

"I have no use of them anymore, so I removed my control," Valtor said. "They are now free again".

"Isn't that a waste of resources?" Darcy asked. "You could always have held them hostage".

"Maintaining control at this stage would be a waste of my energy. Besides, what do we need merfolk for when we have our new army?" the dandy sorcerer asked as the four of them passed by rows upon rows of mind-controlled witches, all of them waiting for commands.

And outside, the mark of Valtor shined grimly, emblazoned on the side of Cloud Tower.

...

At Alfea, the day was going pretty much as normal. Students were lounging in the courtyard in the break between classes, enjoying the many colours of fall. There was talking, eating and games being played.

But then one of the students looked up to gaze at the beautiful multicoloured forest that surrounded Alfea and noticed something. A boy marched out of the woods. His eyes seemed dead to the world, gazing into nothingness, yet he marched with purpose. And then a girl marched out of the woods too. And one more. And another. Dozens upon dozens of people, most of them late teenagers and early adults, marched out of the woods and stopped by the barriers edge, gazing soullessly at the faeries. Most of them had Valtor's mark visible on their skin.

"Miss Griselda! Miss Griselda!" one of the faeries called as he ran up to the front entrance. "You gotta see this, now!"

"Yes, I'm coming. What is..." the witch asked as she stepped out. "Going... on...?" She blinked rapidly at the sight of the horde that had surrounded her school.

Then the controlled students parted and allowed Valtor to march up to the barrier. "Good evening everybody!" he happily greeted them all. "I am Valtor and I have come for the Shield of Morgause, which I know you have. And which I imagine powers this thing," he noted, knocking on the shield with his knuckles.

"Go warn the other teachers, now," Griselda ordered to the student, before marching into the courtyard as the assembled students pulled back from the gate. She glared at Valtor.

"Ah, Griselda. Good to see you again," Valtor said as he recognised the deputy. "Tell me, is every single member of the Company of Light employed at these schools?"

"That is none of your concern," Griselda replied sharply. "What have you done to these kids?"

"I took control of Cloud Tower some hours ago," Valtor replied with a shrug. "So if you think you can keep me out, I will have to disappoint you. It's not going to work. Why not make this easier for everybody involved? Just give me the shield and I'll be on my way again".

"I will not be intimidated by the likes of you," Griselda warned him.

"Again with the bravado," the dandy magi sighed. "Really now, is that shield worth so much you would risk your students?"

"It is not about the shield," the deputy said, her voice a low warning. "It's about you".

"Fine, I see how it is," Valtor said. "We do this the hard way. Fair enough, I figured as much". He rubbed his chin. "Tell me, who was it that ripped a hole in this barrier".

Griselda stiffened for a moment.

"Because I can see the fracture," Valtor noted as he pulled his fist back. "Weak and faint, but it's... Right... HERE!" he yelled as he punched, focusing a large part of his magic into his hand. The shield wobbled and waved, ripples spreading across the surface like it was made of water. And then the shield began falling apart, a spider web of cracks spreading from the impact of Valtor's fist. He adjusted his coat as the entire shield collapsed into a rain of glimmers and sparkles, a victorious smirk on his face. He faintly nodded and the mind-controlled witches stormed forward.

Griselda gritted her teeth and raised her hands, a wall of earth smashing its way through the cobblestones, blocking entry. Even as that halted one charge, she could hear the sounds of combat in other places. Valtor had the school surrounded and now all of the students of Cloud Tower were attacking. The faeries began fighting back, but were limited in what they could do. Their enemies were not some faceless horrors summoned by a ritual to act as cannon fodder. These were real people, who were merely forced to fight for Valtor's cause. Many faeries did what they could to disable the witches, a gesture that was returned by the attacking witches. Soon, chaos spread through the entire school.

In one of the hallways, Palladium and Avalon had been running to join up with Griselda when several witches broke through the windows and immediately began flinging spells in their general direction.

As he blocked the projectiles with his golden shield, Avalon turned to his co-worker and asked: "Is there any way to cure them?"

Palladium, who had tried to focus on his magic, replied: "Not immediately. The meta-magical properties of the mark's bindings are incredibly complicated. I would need a lot more times". He paused to duck a fireball. "And not be fired upon".

"Very well then. If we cannot cure their affliction, we can prevent them from harming others while under Valtor's influence," Avalon said while focusing his own magic. Shining bubbles formed around several of the witches and hoisted them into the air.

In the dining hall, tables and chairs had been raised as barricades to keep the witches back, fairies firing what spells they could to hold the witches back.

"We need more chairs," Ophelia called as she put shoulder to one of the barricades, using all her strength to prevent the witches from breaking through.

"My soufflé is ruined, my kitchen is ruined, my break is ruined," SeFogelia complained as he hauled more inventory to the improvised frontline. "Zis 'ave not been a good day so far".

In another hallway, an attempt by the witches to advance had been halted by the pixies. Between Piff yelling in their ears, Livy biting their skin, Amore blasting them with bursts of perfume, Tune jabbing them with a miniature stun prod and Glim blinding them, the witches' advance had been brought to a complete stop as Valtor's minions tried to swat the diminutive beings.

In another hallway, three witches were suddenly encased in sticky foam, gluing them to the walls and floor.

"How'd you like that!?" Techna yelled as she prepared another grenade.

"I doubt they're even capable of opinions at this juncture," Musa remarked as she stopped another witch with a migraine inducing tone.

"Shame. I need feedback," the scarred girl commented as she prepared another grenade.

In a classroom not far from them, Aisha's head suddenly jerked up as she said: "Right doorway".

Two witches burst in through said door, only to be greeted by a blinding flash of light from Stella.

"There we go," the blonde said satisfied. "You're getting really good at that whole, like, sensing thing".

"Thanks. Though I wish I could do more," the princess of Tides admitted.

"Boy, do I know that feeling," Stella commented.

"At least you can actually fight back," Bloom, who was bandaging a classmate, said. "I'm afraid what my fire will do to them".

"Left doorway," Aisha said as more witches came after them. "I guess I could rip some water from the sprinklers, but I'd rather not damage the school if it can be avoided".

"Why don't you just, like, carry some water on you?" Stella asked. "Would be tots more convenient than always hoping there will water nearby".

"Yeah. I mean, both Techna and Flora carry stuff around for their magic," Bloom added.

Aisha looked speculative as Stella fired more blinding flashes.

Close to their cluster, three witches struggled as strong vines tied them up. Flora took a deep breath as she relaxed for a moment.

"Thanks," Mirta said gratefully. "Are you hurt?"

"A minor wound. Nothing to be concerned over," Flora reassured her girlfriend as she eyed a small scrape on her shoulder. "And do not thank me. I was more than happy to help. Plus, I am sure I would have suffered greater injury without your illusions".

"Well, you know, just looking out for you," Mirta commented with a smile and a blush while looking at her feet. "So, what do we do with them?"

Flora eyed the witches, commenting: "Hopefully we will have the chance to hand them over to the staff. Maybe they can find a cure".

"I hope so," Mirta answered sadly. "I saw Lucy among those who attacked the school".

The Limphean noble put a hand on her lover's shoulder and said empathetically: "My condolences. But I will do everything I can to help her. As well as the rest of the witches".

Outside, Griselda took another step back as Valtor ripped another barrier apart.  
"Earth may be your knack, Griselda," he commented dusting dust of his gloves. "But I have mastered the element as well. Do not think you can actually fight me and win".

"Even so, I will defend this school to the end," Griselda said defiantly, steadying herself for another attack.

Valtor took a step forward as he prepared to take Griselda out of the fight, but was stopped when an immense force began pushing him down. He instinctively hardened his body to prevent himself from breaking under the strain, but even so, the stones beneath his feet cracked and splintered as he slowly began sinking into the ground. Straining, he lifted his head and eyed his new opponent. "Hello, Faragonda," he said with a small amount of effort. "It's been a while. Though you've grown very old".

"I have," Faragonda admitted as she stepped forward. "Griselda, the eastern end of the school is more or less overrun. I need you to assist".

"At once, headmistress," Griselda said before storming off.

"So, come to lock me up again?" Valtor questioned.

"I have come to defend my school," Faragonda replied. "I will not allow you to harm my students".

"To be fair, the easiest way would have been to just give me the artefact," the dandy magi countered. "I did give you the offer, after all".

"You may be used to having people bend and bow to you will, but we will not live in fear of you nor your ilk again," Faragonda said as she stepped forward, increasing the gravity that was pushing down on Valtor. "Nor will we readily hand over the tools of our own oppression".

"Please, do dispense with the drama," Valtor sighed.

"You're one to talk," Faragonda replied.

"Touché. That aside, is your plan to keep trying to crush me into the ground?" Valtor asked, now knee-deep in the courtyard. "Because as you might have noticed, it is not exactly having much of an effect besides scuffing my shoes".

"I didn't imagine it would have," Faragonda muttered, before suddenly shifting the gravitational force in another direction. A rather surprised Valtor was ripped from the ground and was launched with the speed of a bullet out of Alfea and into the forest, smashing through several trees in the process. The fairy headmistress pushed away several witches as she hurried after her adversary, not noticing three not so possessed individuals sneaking in during the confusion.

Faragonda shifted gravity around her, leaping into the air and sailing across the forest in order to find Valtor. Noticing a rather sizeable line of torn up dirt, she landed to inspect the damage. Much to her dismay, though not her surprise, Valtor was not laying stunned in the suddenly created ditch.

The ground behind her exploded and Valtor launched himself out of it, before hurling several boulders at the headmistress.

Faragonda countered, smashing the boulders out of the air or just crushing them. She focused, reversing the gravity beneath Valtor and forced him into the air, holding so that he could not touch the ground.

"It's over," Faragonda said as she kept the struggling magi away from the ground. "I know those spells. You need to remain in contact with the earth in order to use them".

Valtor struggled to move and Faragonda could feel the slight tingle as he tried to use his magic directly on her, but she countered by spinning him around, throwing off his aim and focus. "You campaign ends here," she declared.

And then Valtor faded, much to the headmistress' shock. It had been an illusion.

A gloved hand grasped her shoulder, accompanied by the words: "Oh, I wouldn't say that. But nice try".

...

Back at Alfea, the battle raged on. With efforts focused on detaining the invading witches, it became hard to actually put a dent in the invading force. While individual witches could be stopped, it was but temporarily as their equally possessed comrades could easily free them if given even the slightest amount of time. Truth was that the only reason that the situation had not become a complete bloodbath was that Valtor's troops seemed just as unwilling to kill, though hurting and slightly maiming were all on the table.

Musa found herself pondering why Valtor refrained from killing. Maybe he saw it as a challenge. Maybe he saw killing as a waste of potential resources. Or maybe he just believed that not killing people made him a good person, even though he would happily brainwash, manipulate and cripple if it meant accomplishing his goals. Not that it mattered to the black-haired musician. It was nothing but idle speculation as she tried to find a way to rejoin her friends. The witches had attacked through a wall, causing one of the corridors to collapse, separating her from her classmates. While she would normally have no trouble finding her way around the school, the hallways were filled with rubble, junk and patrols of witches that would gladly put an end to her resistance. Not permanently, of course, but Musa did not particularly enjoy being frozen to the spot, trapped in rocks, paralysed by poison or whatever else the witches could do. Even worse, if she was trapped there was a significant risk of her being hauled off to become another slave under Valtor's control. The thought made her shudder. She very much wanted to keep being in control of her mind and body.

Her eyes caught a sudden change of light outside and she stopped by a window. A curtain of energy began descending over the school. The shield had recharged.

Musa was unsure how much good it would do, but maybe it would keep at least some of the witches out. She turned, prepared to continue to look for a way around the school, when she noticed that she was not alone.

"Hello, Musa," Icy said, eyeing the black-haired girl with a predatory look, idly rolling a staff longer than she was between her fingers.

The black-haired musician immediately reacted, pulling her fans out.

"I would suggest you don't try anything," Darcy said, who was blocking the other way alongside Stormy. "It would not end well. For you, that is".

Musa bit her lip as she tried to figure out how to get out of their pincer attack. While she did not have much respect for the three, she did acknowledge that they were dangerous and that she could not take on all three of them at once without some significant advantage. And being surrounded was definitely not an advantage. But she could break free and get help. Spotting the weak link, she broke into a sudden spring, aiming to knock Icy out long enough to make her escape. She threw her fist, aiming for the white-haired witch's midsection. If Icy tried to dodge, it would be easier to adjust for than if she was attempting to hit her head. Musa tried to keep as many scenarios in mind as she could in an attempt to be prepared. She was prepared for the two others to pursue her or try to shoot her. She was prepared for Icy trying to freeze her or raise a barrier.

But she did not imagine Icy would catch her punch.

Shocked by a combination of the sudden halting of momentum and the realization that Icy had managed to stop her, Musa hesitated for a second. A second Icy used to plant her knee in the black-haired girl's stomach. Musa stumbled back breathlessly, clutching her pained stomach, before having her feet swept away by a swing of Icy's staff. Stunned from the impact, she barely had time to react before Icy pointed the wooden weapon at her throat, a sharp point of ice growing from it.

"Just give me an excuse," Icy said with a vicious smile.

"Now then, with that out of the way, perhaps we can continue on to more productive endeavours," Darcy commented. "The last student we interrogated said that he had heard that the artefact that powers the shield is in the restricted library, but he had no knowledge of where that is. We want you to take us there. And don't play stupid. I know for a fact that you saw the restricted library while fighting Bloom last year. So even if you've never gotten instructions for how to get in, you know the localization, which is more than enough".

"And if I refuse?" Musa asked.

"Then I get to practise all kinds of new techniques I've learned on you," Icy commented.

"Could we... Could we, you know, not do that?" Stormy asked with a shudder, causing the white-haired witch to roll her eyes with a heavy sigh.

Musa took the moment to consider things, before saying: "Okay then. I'll show you".

"Good. And you better not try to pull anything," Icy warned her as she let the black-haired musician get back on her feet. "Otherwise, we'll have an improvised exploration of fairy anatomy".

"Why was it that you taught her to use a weapon?" Stormy asked Darcy as they began following the black-haired fairy.

"Because if I hadn't, Musa would have gotten away," the dirty-blonde replied. "Adding another way for Icy to express her sadistic tendencies will not be a problem as long as she is channelling them towards a productive goal".

"What I'm hearing you say is that we're going to have a problem very soon," the wild-haired witch muttered.

"You know, I'm not deaf," Icy, who was walking just behind Musa, commented.

The fairy musician kept directing them through Alfea's halls. She briefly considered trying to lead them astray, but dropped the idea. While she didn't doubt she could pull that on Stormy or Icy, Darcy was most likely keeping mental notes of where they were going. Taking any unusual directions would have to be explained and Musa figured she could only come up with so many excuses. So she had to come up with a different plan even while leading them to their destination.

Minutes passed as they walked through the halls, occasionally passing by a patrol of witches or some captured students.

Finally, they arrived at the secret door. "It's right through here," Musa said, indicating with her thumb.

"I see. An illusion. Clever," Darcy mumbled as she let her fingers glide across the wall. Finding the handle, she pressed it down and opened the door. Behind it lay the restricted library, dozens upon dozens of tomes and books of dangerous magic arranged inside the tower. Musa immediately noticed something that hadn't been there when she had helped arranging the new books. A pillar has been raised in the middle of the room, a shield inside a strange device on top of it sending a ray of magic up through the ceiling, likely powering the shield. Most likely it hadn't been there last time, because the teachers would occasionally move it to make it less likely to be found.

"Hello and welcome to the library. How may I...?" the seahorse asked as he floated down. He stared at the group, before calling: "Concorda, we're being invaded. Again".

"Oh dear," Concorda muttered as she flew down. "Ah, you three. I remember hearing of you".

"Yes, we do have quite the reputation," Darcy agreed. "Now, we want the shield. In exchange for not making this difficult, we will hand over Musa here. Does that seem fair?"

"I suppose you'll give me little room to negotiate," Concorda commented. "Very well. We'll stand aside".

"Good," Darcy said. She assumed her shadow form and snaked her way up the pillar.

Icy and Stormy both eyed their friend as she manifested on top of the pillar and began dismantling the machine.

This turned out to be the wrong direction to look. The moment she wasn't being watched, Musa suddenly let her power loose and exploded in a shock-wave of sound, knocking Icy and Stormy away from her. The wild-haired witch was knocked into a bookcase. Concorda snapped her fingers and several shelves worth of books jumped from their shelves and buried Maria.  
"I do so wish we could refrain from using the books as weaponry," the seahorse commented.

Icy groaned, having hit her head against the edge of a book case and saw Musa run for the door. She lashed out with her staff, a frozen chain growing from the end and wrapping itself around the black-haired girl's foot. She tripped with a yelp and crashed to the floor again.

Icy jumped back on her feet and pulled her staff back, an axe blade of ice growing on one end. "Goodbye," she hissed as she swung it towards Musa's head.

Before her attack could hit, a ball of water hit her in the chest and launched her back. She crashed into the pillar in the middle of the room, a look between confusion and rage on her face.

"Get away from our friend," Aisha warned the white-haired witch, surrounded by Bloom, Stella, Flora and Techna.  
"Well, that's a surprise," Stormy mumbled as she got out of the book pile. "So, how did you find us this time?"

"Musa was using her powers to transmit us a message," Bloom said. "Warning us that you were going to the restricted library. So we hurried here and, well, now we're going to beat you up again".

"Could you two handle this? Still kinda busy," Darcy said as she continued to fiddle with the machine.

"Well, I'm glad you showed up," Icy said as she got back up on her legs. "Gives me a chance to smear you across the floor personally".

Bloom literally opened fire, sending a ray of flames towards the white-haired witch, who countered by raising a shield of ice. As Stella began assisting Bloom in pelting the shield and Flora helped Musa, Aisha and Techna charged Stormy. The wild-haired witch responded by sending several books flying through the air with a gust of wind, a particular heavy tome smashing Aisha in the face and knocking her off her feet. Techna weathered the assault and lifted her pipe over her head, ready to smash Stormy's head. Stormy countered by pulling something from under her jacked. With a metalling clang, the pipe smashed against the solid iron of Stormy's mace.

"Oh. That's new," Techna commented.

Stormy growled and raised her weapon, swinging it toward the scarred girl. Techna blocked the attack, but her knees buckled under the impact and her pipe was deformed from the force. Stormy pulled back for an overhead swing and Techna found herself on the defensive as her weapon was smashed again, the electronics inside crushed by the bending metal. Seeing that her opponent was temporarily stunned from the blow, Stormy jabbed her hand into the scarred girl's chest and let loose a torrent of electricity. Techna screamed as she lost control of her muscles and fell to the floor.

Aisha forced herself up, her eyebrow bleeding from the impact of the book, just as Stormy charged her. The princess of Tides recalled the water she had used to hit Icy as used it to try to block Stormy's powerful swings.

Meanwhile, Icy dodged behind a bookcase as Stella tried to hit her with another beam of light. Growling, the white-haired witch ran down one of the smaller corridors, hoping to catch her opponents

She acknowledged that that plan wouldn't work when Bloom also stepped into the same hallway, unleashing a wave of fire in the white-haired witch's direction. Icy immediately raised a wall of ice between the bookshelves, blocking the flames. She doubled back and slipped in between two shelves, looking for a way around her opponents.

Suddenly, vines burst through the shelves, knocking several books away and Icy was forced to fall back towards the centre of the room. As she did, she was almost immediately blasted at by Stella and Musa.

"Don't give her time to recover," Musa warned her friend. "She's learned some new tricks since we last fought them".

"And now it's time for my newest one. Shoving this entire thing straight up your..." Icy began angrily, before being cut off by a weird sound.

"And there we go," Darcy said as she pulled out the shield. "The Shield of Morgause. Quite the artefact". She leapt off the pillar, breaking her fall by melting into the floor before popping out again. "Now then, it's been an... Well, an experience. But we have to leave. Valtor is waiting for his prize".

"And what makes you think we'll just let you go?" Bloom asked, already charging her flames again.  
"I don't. However, you won't have a choice. Isabella and Maria are not the only ones with new tricks," Darcy replied with a smile. "Valtor saw fit to grant me... This". Black flames ignited on her body and leapt in all directions, quickly engulfing several books. "The cursed black flames," Darcy remarked as the inferno spread with fearsome speed. "Good luck with that".

"Bloom, fire's, like, your thing," Stella remarked.

"I'm trying. But it's not responding to me," Bloom said as she stepped back, the black inferno quickly eating its way through the shelves.

"Black fire is not a regular form of fire," Flora warned them. "It is more akin to a curse that assumes the form of fire, consuming anything nearby".

The faeries distracted, the three witches hurried up one of the ramps, Darcy spreading more black flames as they went.

"Is it really necessary to completely fuck up the place?" Stormy asked as they reached the upper floor.

"Maybe not, but I'd rather be safe than sorry," Darcy replied. "Isabella. A stairway, please".

Icy concentrated and a staircase of frost shot up through the ceiling window, allowing the witches to escape.

Beneath them, the shelves cracked and fell apart, the black flames consuming everything.

"My water is not working either," Aisha lamented as she tried to put out the flames.

"Then we have tried everything we can," Concorda said. "We must abandon the library".

The girls hurried out of the inferno ravaged library, making sure to close the door behind them.

"And here we've just gotten everything enchanted gain," the seahorse commented. "How vexing".

"At least we're still alive," Concorda pointed out. "That is always something to appreciate".

"There you are," Griselda said as she entered the corridor. "We found a student who said that the Usurpers where in the school, looking for the restricted library".

"And they've just left again," Techna commented. "Mind getting Light Knight or Slender up here? There's a rather vicious curse nomming up all the books".

"I'm afraid it's true," the guardian pixie confirmed. "The Usurpers stole the Shield of Morgause and Darcy now possesses the ability to create black fire".

"I figured that somebody had the shield," Griselda replied. "The witches fell back after the barrier went down again, so I assumed somebody had gotten what they all came here for". She sighed. "I'm afraid I've also got very bad news. While it may be too early to state anything definite, there can be no doubt about one thing". She looked the girls straight in the eyes as she said: "Faragonda is missing".


	11. The Search for Faragonda

Chapter 11: The Search for Faragonda

Alfea had been utterly trashed by the attack. Windows were broken, doors smashed off their hinges and entire hallways had collapsed into piles of rubble. The once pristine institution was now pockmarked with cracks, stains and scorch marks, mute witnesses to the chaos that had unfolded the previous day.

In the infirmary wing, dozens of students lay hospitalized due to their ordeals. While Valtor's witches had refrained from killing, they had still been quite violent and several of the fairies that had resisted had ended up with broken bones, lacerations, serious burns and the occasional missing limb.

Also interred in the infirmary was the dozen or so witches that had been captured during the invasion, kept in magical slumber until a spell to break the mark could be devised.

With every passing hour, it had become increasingly clearer that the missing Faragonda was not going to come waltzing home and a search had been organised. Not only had both Red Fountain and the police of Magicalis been involved in the task, but due to the sheer size of the forest, Griselda had even permitted several of the older fairies to assist.

This included Flora, whose knacks for plants was considered to be quite the asset in tracking down the missing headmistress. Of course, it was fully acknowledged that if she was going, there would be no preventing her clustermates from joining her, so Griselda just saved herself from that particular headache and allowed them to go, imploring them to be extremely careful. After all, there was no telling what traps, troops or trickery Valtor might have left in the woods to dissuade investigation. This was also the reason that every group sent out to search the forest was assigned an area that bordered up to where somebody else was searching. That way, getting help in case of an emergency would be less problematic.

It was with this in mind that Flora led her group, consisting of her five clustermates and the five pixies, into the area, ever mindful of the dangers that could be lurking around every corner.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Stella started as they walked down the dirt road that ran through that part of the woods, amber leaves occasionally falling from the trees above.

"Faragonda, obviously," Musa commented.  
"Yes, I tots know that," Stella sighed annoyed, rolling her eyes. "I mean, like, what sort of clues should we be looking for?"

"Anything out of the ordinary would be a good start," Flora stated. "We know little besides the fact that Faragonda flung Valtor into the woods and then proceeded to fly after him".

"So we should expect some epic scene of their fated battle?" Piff asked.

"Perhaps. Battles between highly trained and experienced magi generally go one of two ways," Flora replied. "They tend to either be long, drawn out affairs that devastate the area. Or they are over within seconds".

"A comforting thought," Bloom mumbled.

"So, Flowergirl, how exactly do we go about searching this woody joint?" Techna inquired. "Kinda your area of expertise. I mean, I figure it won't just involve us going in random direction until we stumble across something".

"No. We will probably have to do this methodically and step by step," Flora said. "I have a map and if we plot our course, we can probably find the optimal search pattern. Otherwise, the odds of actually finding anything within a reasonable timeframe will be small indeed".

"Look. I think it's a clue," Livy suddenly exclaimed, pointing away from the road.

Everyone else turned to look. Behind a thicket, several trees had been splintered and toppled.

"Then again, sometimes fortune smiles," Flora noted as she made her way through the bushes.

"Sheesh, who fired a cannon here?" Musa commented as she noted the scene. A line of fallen trees and splintered woods formed a path through the area.

"Given the way the trees are toppled, I'd say this was probably the work of a single projectile, which was launched at great speed," Tune suggested as she inspected the area. "I also noted that I can see Alfea from here and, given the direction these trees have toppled, I'd guess the projectile was originally launched from there".

"Sounds like a clue to me," Stella noted.

"Alright then. Let us follow this trail and see where it leads," Flora said. The group walked along the path of destruction, until they ended up at a grass-covered hill. A large furrow had been cut through most of it, earth ploughed up in both directions from the impact.

"Alright. My hypothesis is that this is where Valtor ended up after Faragonda flung him from the school," Flora speculated.

Bloom starred down the path of broken trees. "Ouch," she commented. "That would have had to hurt."

"Hopefully," Musa muttered.

"My suggestion is that we search the immediate area. This is the most likely place for us to find any clues," Flora suggested.

"I've looked forward to this part," Amore admitted, now suddenly wearing a stereotypical detective uniform, complete with a small magnifying glass.

"We'll split up and look for clues then," Bloom stated.

"You do that. I will attempt to read the nearby plants for disturbances," the Limphean noble said as she sat down on a fallen log in a meditative pose.

...

Valtor sat in the headmistress' big chair, feet on the desk and a pleased, satisfied look on his face. Besides his feet lay the now disenchanted Shield of Morgause. He had briefly considered sending it to a museum now that it was useless to him, but he had yet to figure out how to accomplish that. Maybe he could drop it off as an anonymous donor. Though it would probably be locked up as evidence anyway.

On the other side of the table stood the three Usurpers, waiting for Valtor to react to their presence with various degrees of patience.

"Well, I personally think it went well," Valtor started. "A few captured witches, but nothing crippling. Got the objective, Faragonda won't be a bother for quite a while and all three of you got out. And yet..." he remarked, withdrawing his feet from the table. "You don't seem entirely pleased."

"It's those fucking fairies," Icy grumbled. "They keep interfering."

"True. They did attack us at the library," Darcy added. "Though that was due to Musa alerting them. I knew that was a possibility, but I was unsure if she had the skill to pull it off. A calculated risk."

"That you didn't mention," Icy added.

"I had to mention that the fairy with a knack for sound might be able to send messages?" the dirty-blonde asked, eyebrow raised.

"You do seem to have a lot of... History with these particular faeries," Valtor noted.

"Yeah. That shit is fucking uncanny," Stormy said. "I mean, it kinda made sense when we were trying to harvest Bloom's dragonflame. But then... We just kept running into them. We invade Red Fountain with Darkar's help, only for some of them to be there helping with the defences. When we last invaded Cloud Tower, they just so happened to be taking extra classes here. We went to Andros, still ran into them. It's like we're unavoidably attracted to each other". A deep and awkward silence filled the room. "Wait, that sounded wrong".

"Allow me to rephrase that," Darcy sighed. "What she means is that those faeries continue to be a hindrance to the point that it almost seems fated, if one believes in such a thing. It is highly improbable that mere coincidence dictates that we run into each other again and again during the most unlikely of circumstances".

"Yes. The Company of Light had a similar affinity for showing up wherever the Coven was active," Valtor remarked. "Didn't mean that they always successfully stopped us, but they certainly tried". He paused, starring into the air contemplatively.

"And that means they're going to come here," Icy stated. "And soon".

"You really think so?" Valtor asked. "That would be... Interesting. While they haven't actually managed to be a serious thorn in my side so far, it is not for lack of trying".

"So what are we going to do now?" Stormy asked. "There's no way people are going to ignore you attacking two of the schools within the same day".

"People just need to be assured that the attacks won't be something that will affect them," Valtor remarked. "On that note, I should probably have Radius and Sky spin this as me going after Company of Light members. A revenge motive will put people at ease. Makes them think they can predict what I'll do next". He paused for a moment, allowing himself to stretch his arms with an audible crack. "Now then, I think all three of you have deserved a rest. Why don't you go relax while I think up potential countermeasures, should anyone actually decide to attack?"

"If you say so," Icy said with a shrug, before heading off with the others. As they left the room, she commented: "I still say we should have stayed and finished them off."

"Yes. Stay in the library that's on fucking fire. Brilliant," Stormy remarked sarcastically as she closed the door after her.

Valtor turned away from the desk and stared out the window at the green forest that surrounded the school. Lost in thoughts, he almost didn't notice the familiar presence in the room. "Let me guess," the dandy sorcerer said as he acknowledged his guest's presence. "You also think she's going to show up here, don't you?"

...

"So, what do we, like, have so far?" Stella asked, her clothes covered in twigs, leaves and small spots of dirt gained in her search for clues.

"The furrow, which was probably where Valtor landed," Musa began summarising. "Some craters and some boulders and stones that were definitely hurled. Beyond that, nothing."

"Not even as much as a foot print," Amore sighed. "Or a fingerprint."  
"Well, Valtor does wear gloves," Bloom pointed out.

"Hmm, clever. But he cannot evade the long arm of justice," the redhead pixie replied, now wearing a police uniform. "At least, not forever."

"So what do we do now?" Piff asked.

"Wait for Flowergirl to return to reality," Techna said, pointing at Flora with her thumb.

"I can still hear you," the brunette remarked. "And for your information, I have already found something. I was just trying to sense more."

"What did you sense then?" Aisha asked.

"As may be quite obvious, this site was witness to a battle between powerful magi," Flora said as she unfurled herself. "Most likely between Valtor and Faragonda. From how overwhelmingly much Valtor's aura has imprinted on the area, I would guess that he won. However, he did leave a trail of magic, which might take us to Faragonda."

"So... Do we follow?" Musa asked.

"We should probably investigate, yes," the Limphean noble agreed. "Such a trail will grow cold over time. Even now, it is faint. It will do no good if we wait for help, only to have nowhere to go."

"But there might still be more clues around here," Bloom suggested.

"That is also true," the brunette agreed. "Pixies. I think it would be best if you kept investigating the area, just in case we missed something."

"Consider it done," Livy said with a salute.

"Good. Now, let us get moving while I can still sense the trail," Flora said as she and the other faeries headed off.

As they continued through the woods, wading through piles of amber and crimson leaves, Bloom asked: "So how exactly does that whole imprinting thing you mentioned work?"

"Each magi has a sort of, if you will, flavour to their magic," Flora replied. "When magic is used, it leaves a touch of itself on everything nearby. The energy of most creatures is cleansed within minutes, but most plants are so passive in their energy that a trail can last for days. The most efficient way, however, is to read it in the very energy of the place, but that is a technique I have yet to learn. I do imagine we will learn about this next year or maybe the one after".

"You will," Stella remarked. "And it's boring".

"But let me guess. On your planet, you were required to learn how to do this?" Musa guessed.

"Yes. It was considered quite the essential skill," the Limphean noble agreed.

"Great. The more I hear of your homeworld, the less I want to go there," the black-haired musician commented. "Who even wants to live in a place where you need a full set of detective skills just to open your front door without being eaten by some random bogeyman?"

"It is not that bad, as long as you know what you are doing," Flora said. "In my..." She paused, suddenly starring intensely at a thicket of trees. "In my experience, keeping yourself informed is..." She suddenly made a sharp movement with her hand and the girls heard a sharp yelp. The faeries quickly made their way through the bushes, the plants leaning away due to Flora's magic, only for them to find Mirta hanging upside down from a tree.

"Ehm... Hi there. Funny running into you out here," the redhead ex-witch said nervously. "I, ehm, I was actually sneaking out to, ehm, come help you look for Faragonda".

Flora kept staring at her girlfriend with a raised eyebrow and an unimpressed expression.

Mirta sighed and continued with: "Okay, so I was trying to get to Cloud Tower because I wanted to see if I could help Lucy".

"I thought as much," Flora said as she made the tree put the redhead down again. "You never were good at lying". She paused, before commenting: "Ironic, considering that illusions are your forte".

"Were you really going to sneak into CT alone?" Techna asked.

"Well, maybe," Mirta replied uncertainly. "I dunno. I just wanted to see if I could help Lucy or maybe some of the others. They don't deserve to be Valtor's puppets".

"Be that as it may, sneaking into Cloud Tower would be quite the risky thing to do," Flora admonished her. "You could have gotten yourself hurt, or worse, become one of Valtor's puppets".

"No offence, Flowergirl, but you are a bit of a narc at times," Techna commented.

"A stick up the ass is probably standard procedure on Limphea," Musa joked. "Probably helps them survive, if nothing else by ensuring they have a backup weapon".

"I take pride in being responsible, yes," the brunette replied. "So I will take that as a compliment. Anyway, splitting up or turning back now would be a risky endeavour, so I propose that you stick with us until we can return to Alfea".

"I guess that by propose, you actually mean that you will personally carry me back to Alfea over your shoulder if I try to pull anything," Mirta said.

Bloom took a moment to look at Flora, before commenting: "You know, you're buff enough that I think you could pull it off without magic".  
"She can," Stella said. "I've seen her carry Mirta around before. Not that either of them seemed to mind".

"She almost fell asleep in the library. It would be irresponsible to just leave her like that," Flora pointed out. "We are getting off track anyway. We should continue following the trail while it still exists. Mirta, try to stick to the middle of the group".

"Alright," the ex-witch said and the faeries moved on again, heading ever deeper into the woods. As they kept walking, the redhead began checking the area around them, recognising the landmarks of the area. Finally she asked: "So going to Cloud Tower was a bad idea, right?"  
"Super bad," Stella agreed.  
"Right. Though so," Mirta said. She was silent for a moment, before asking: "Then why are we going towards it?"

Everyone stopped up and stared at Flora, who was suddenly busy trying to get her map out of her backpack. She stared at it, spent some time sensing the trail and compared a few landmarks. Then she slowly folded the map again with a: "Well. Crud".

...

"Found anything yet?" Piff asked as she flew up to her fellow pixies.

"No," Glim responded.

"We're bad at this," Livy sighed. "We haven't found anything the others hadn't already noted".

"Maybe we just need a detective cheer," Piff suggested.  
"What would that even consist off?" Tune asked slightly confused.

"I imagine it would need a good jazz beat," the blonde pixie started as she began mentally putting together her idea for a detective cheer.

"Anyway, back to the matter at hand," Tune said as she turned to the others. "It does not seem like there's anything in the area that haven't found by now."

"Maybe that's the thing," Amore suggested. "Maybe we've already found a clue".

The other pixies silently glared at her.

"I don't get it," Piff admitted.

"What I mean is, maybe we've already found something, but haven't recognised it as a clue," the redhead pixie continued.

"That... Actually could be a thing," Tune admitted. "But how would we know?"

"Dunno," Glim said while shrugging.

"Maybe we should ask my cards," Livy suggested.

"Why not. Not like we have anything better to do," Amore said, now wearing a shawl and holding a pixie-sized crystal ball.

...

Leaves rustled around their feet as the seven faeries stepped out of the woods and starred up at the enormous and ominous structure that was Cloud Tower. Mirta sighed nostalgically as she stared at the looming edifice.

"You miss it, don't you?" Stella stated.

"Very much," the redhead admitted. "This really was a home for me. But now... Now Valtor taken over."

"So, let me guess. The trail continues into Cloud Tower?" Musa asked Flora, sounding very much like she already knew the answer.

"Yes, it does," the brunette confirmed.

"Big surprise there," the black-haired musician sighed. "Things can never just be simple."

"So what do we do now?" Techna asked.

"Turn back and inform the others that Faragonda has most likely been taken to Cloud Tower," Flora answered. "It will probably be a long while before we will be able to free her, if Valtor has fortified himself as well as he did on Andros. With that in... Mind..." she slowly finished as she noted the looks on the other faeries' faces. "You... You must be joking. You cannot seriously suggest that..."

"We try to bust Granny out of there?" Techna asked. "Fuck yeah I'd suggest that."

Flora stood still as a statue. Then, with a shaking arm, she grasped a lock of her hair and suddenly yanked it with enough force to rip it in two. She let the now loose strands fall to the ground while taking a deep breath, before saying: "That has to be the dumbest, most idiotic, most incomprehensibly suicidal idea you have yet to come up with. At least with the whole Andros disaster you presented something that could look like a functional plan. If you squinted. And looked the wrong way. While standing in another dimension. But now, we are standing in front of what we can justifiably assume is a heavily fortified and thoroughly guarded building, controlled by one of the most dangerous magi ever. And your plan is to, what, waltz up to the front door, knock politely and challenge him to a duel with Faragonda being handed over to the winner?"

"Actually, we could use the emergency exits to sneak in," Mirta suggested.

"Yeah. When the Usurpers took control, Cloud Tower shut down most of its security to prevent abuse," Bloom brought up. "There is no way it would serve Valtor, so there's no way he has the same degree of surveillance that Griffin normally has".

"I notice there is a lot of assumptions in that plan," Flora said unimpressed.

"Look, like, we're here and we've totally been through worse before," Stella said.

"That is not a good argument, given what we have been through because of that sort of attitude," the brunette pointed out.

"We owe it to Faragonda to at least try," Techna said.  
"And to the witches," Mirta agreed.

"Plus, a small group like us has much better odds of getting in unnoticed," Mirta said.

"Then let us contact Red Fountain and get a small team of them to do it," Flora pointed out. "Why exactly is it that whenever these situations pop up, you all willingly line up to jump straight in? Do you have no sense of self-preservation or have our previous victories convinced you that you are somehow immune to consequences? We are not a band of chosen ones going up against the dark overlord. We are a bunch of not even fully educated faeries, who are apparently seriously considering going toe-to-toe with one of the most notorious criminals ever".

"Okay, so maybe it is strictly speaking not the smartest thing to do," Bloom said. "But we have to try. I mean, we did manage to beat Darkar".

"She's right. We've been through some serious shit together, as you yourself also mentioned," Techna said. "We may not be fully trained, but I'd say experience wise, we rank up there with Red Fountain's elite. Or at least close to".

"That is a dangerously presumptuous conclusion," Flora pointed out.

"Look, we're not suggesting we go in and kick Valtor in the balls until we can drag his ass to the police, tempting as that might be," Musa said. "But if we can get in and save even one person, then it'll be worth it. If you want to double back and tell the others just in case things go wrong, that's fine. We understand".

"I ought to drag all of you back to Alfea by your hair," Flora mumbled, face buried in her hand. "Fine then. My conscience would never forgive me if I just let you all go in there on your own and I do not have the power to stop you. Therefore, I will assist you, but it will be under protest". Then she stomped off to find one of the caves that led into the structure.

As the other faeries followed, Stella quietly asked Mirta: "Do these things ever, like, affect your relationship?"

"Flora is not the type to carry a grudge," Mirta said. She was silent for a second, before adding: "But I know how much she hates worrying for our safety, so I'll probably still buy her a peace gift anyway. Just to show that I am sorry for putting her through this".

"What does she like?" Stella inquired.  
"Romance novels," the redhead revealed.

"Huh. Never would have figured," the Solarian blonde admitted.

Not long after, they located one of the caverns that lead to one of the school's emergency exits. Stella and Flora lead the way, the former carefully lighting up the cave.

"Just remember. First sign of trouble and we are pulling out," Flora warned the others.

"Fair enough," Bloom replied.

At the end of the damp and dark cave was an iron door, the lock of which Bloom melted, allowing them entry. The group then stepped into Cloud Tower proper and took a moment to take in the oppresive atmosphere.

The dark hallways were completely quiet, darkness obscuring them like a thick carpet. Every step sounded thundering in the deafening silence that reigned in the once lively halls.

"This is eerie," Musa mumbled.

"Yeah. Let's go see if we can find somebody and then, like, get out of here," Stella whispered nervously.

The group slowly made their way down one of the hallways, eyes straining to see any signs of danger hiding in the shadows that surrounded them. Aisha and Stella took to the front, using their respective skills to make things easier on their friends. They passed by classrooms and different facilities, all abandoned and bereft of life.

"Seriously, this shit is straight out of every horror flick I've ever seen. Or played," Techna whispered, though the oppressive silence made it sound as if she was speaking normally.

"What... What happens in those?" Aisha carefully inquired.

"Everything's nice and quiet right until the main characters get swarmed by the monster of the week," Techna responded

"Let's try to avoid the whole being swarmed and made into a seven course meal," Musa commented.

The group carefully made their way up a staircase, finding themselves in a hallway full of doors.

"I recognise these," Mirta said carefully. "These are the students' apartments".

"Valtor may have his minions stay in there when not in use," Flora suggested. "Though be careful. They will most likely still be hostile".

Carefully, Musa sneaked up to the door, her magic muting her footsteps. She carefully opened it and peered inside what looked very much like one of Alfea's common rooms. The girls walked into the dark apartment, made their way to one of the students' private rooms and opened the door.

Behind it was a rather sparsely decorated room dominated by a large bed, on which a teenage girl lay. She was fully clothed and could almost be mistaken for a corpse weren't it for the slight movement of her chest.

"They are in a sort of trance," Flora said as she took a closer look. "Valtor probably has them rest so he does not have to expend too many resources on them".

"What should we do?" Mirta asked.

"We could haul her and whomever is in the other rooms out of here," Techna suggested.

"But what if that causes them to wake up?" Stella asked.

"But we did come here to save people," Bloom pointed out.

"Indeed. But until we know exactly what we are dealing with, it would be unwise to gamble," Flora said. "Let us leave them be for now".

Mirta looked slightly displeased at having to leave her schoolmate, but acknowledge that there was logic in what Flora said.

The faeries headed outside into the hallway and continued trying to get deeper into Cloud Tower, only to be stopped when a wall suddenly sprouted out of the floor and prevented them from continuing. Behind them, another wall closed the corridor off completely as all the apartment doors vanished.  
"What... What happened?" Aisha asked.  
Flora blinked, before suddenly face-palming. "I am an idiot," she groaned. "Of course. Cloud Tower is a living entity and Valtor can take control of living beings".

"What? He can control something as powerful as the entire CT?" Stella asked surprised.

Suddenly, a large hole in one of the walls opened, allowing several mind-controlled witches to march out.

"Does that answer your question?" Musa asked annoyed.

The witches raised their hands as one and fired a barrage of various projectiles at the girls. Flora immediately countered by hurling seeds to the floor, sprouting a wall of plants that were immediately blasted apart by the attack, shielding the faeries. The moment the plants fell, Musa stepped forward and unleashed a shockwave that knocked the witches off their feet.

"Fuck, here comes even more puppets!" Techna yelled as another hole opened to let more witches get through.

Bloom concentrated and conjured a wall of flames to hold back the advance.

A third hole opened and Stella and Techna began hurling blasts of light and flashbangs in their general direction.

Stone boulders, blasts of lightning, shards of ice and much more flew through the air, trying to hit the faeries in the cross fire. Mirta kept conjuring illusionary faeries and other threats to divert the attacking witches' spells, but even with the extra help, it was impossible to completely evade the numerous attacks. When the dust finally settled, twenty witches were tied up or knocked out. The faeries, however, had suffered numerous scratches, burns and other damage. Bloom kept a hand to her ear, which an icicle had torn a rather large hole in. Musa had to have Techna support her after a rock had knocked her knee out of place. One of Mirta's arms was filled with cactus needles, which Flora was quickly trying to pull out.

Suddenly, another hole opened, out of which Zarathustra and Ediltrude marched.

"Great. Second wave is a go," Techna muttered.

The two mind-controlled teachers stared at them, before their marks suddenly lit up. Their bones began creaking as they both began stretching and growing. Clothes ripped as their skin grew thick, dark and gnarly. Limbs began stretching grotesquely as their facial features were distorted, ears and hair splitting into organic twigs.

"Not again," Bloom whimpered as the two teachers were warped into abominable forms. They now looked more like trees than people, pupil-less white eyes starring soullessly at the faeries. Then they stomped forward.

The transformed Ediltrude swung one of her long limbs at the faeries, hitting Techna in the chest and sending her flying down the hallway. Musa tumbled to the floor as her friend was smashed out of her hand, hissing in pain as the agony in her leg flared up again from the rough drop to the ground.

Bloom half-heartedly flung small fireballs at the two, not wanting to hurt the transformed teachers. Zarathustra picked up on that and smashed at her with an oversized arm. The redhead yelped and fell to the floor to avoid being crushed, the enlarged limb denting the wall where her head had been seconds before.

Flora threw several of her seeds at the two abominations. They grew into long vines that sought to bind the monsters, but they easily ripped themselves free.

The girls were forced farther and farther back down the hall as the creatures kept attacking, only to find themselves with their backs against the wall.

...

"Hey, what's going on down there?" Stormy asked as she and her two friends stormed into what had become Valtor's office. "Are we being attacked?"

"Well, I suppose that would not be an entirely inaccurate way to describe this," Valtor noted as he stared into a glassy surface on the wall, through which Cloud Tower provided him a view of the events. "You were right, by the way."

The witches exchanged glances.

"In regards to what exactly?" Darcy inquired.

"Bloom, and her friends of course, have indeed come to Cloud Tower, no doubt in search of their headmistress," Valtor explained. "I kept an eye on them for a while before trapping them three floors below."

"Really?" Icy asked eagerly as she rushed up to the viewing mirror. On it, the seven faeries could be seen launching spells at the advancing mutants, unable to fall further back. Their spells barely made dents in the transformed teachers, succeeding only at slowing them down. "Finally. Now we can be rid of them for good," the white-haired witch said satisfied.

Valtor glared at her, before rolling his eyes with an audible sigh. "Icy," he began. "I have absolutely no intentions of killing them".

"Wha... Why?" she asked confused.

"Because there are far more gainful ways to deal with them," he continued. "Besides, if I killed them there would be no way I could convince people that I'm not a threat. Remember, there's at least three princesses down there".

"He's got a point," Darcy said. "If they die, we will be stormed, no questions asked".

"And while we could always move again, I'd find it rather distracting to have several armies trying to take me down while I go about my business," Valtor added.

"Then at the very least get them branded," Icy hissed.

Valtor chuckled, before asking: "And what exactly did you think I was planning to do? Let them go?"

"Ehm, well, it's just happens a lot," the white-haired witch said defensively. "Have to be certain".

"If you say so," Valtor replied amused. In the surface, they could see how the mutated teachers suddenly backed off and left the hallway through one of the holes, much to the confusion of the faeries.

"So, what now?" Stormy asked.

"Now I go deal with them myself," Valtor stated. "I hope you do not mind, but from what I could understand, your track record when it comes to beating them is less than stellar".

"Well... I mean, we don't always lose," Stormy mumbled.

"I never said you did. But let's not leave this to chance," the dandy magi stated. "By the way, who's that girl? The one with red hair".

"Huh. Oh, that would be Mirta. Strange to see her here," Darcy commented. "Former witch. Best friends with Lucy. Knack for illusions. Below average magical strength".

"Knack for illusions. Interesting," the well-dressed magi mumbled. "Then I know exactly how to deal with them".

"How? They gotta know that something's up by now," Stormy said.

"True, true, but that can be used to my advantage," Valtor said as he stepped away from the wall. "Watch and learn". The floor rippled beneath him and the dandy magi sunk through.

"So, what do you think he's going to do?" Stormy asked as the three observed the faeries.

"Trick them, I guess," Darcy suggested. "Or maybe just forego trickery and attack them directly. That is also a possibility."

"When he gets them marked, I call dips on having Bloom as my personal servant," Icy declared.

"That will depend on whether or not Valtor even intents to keep them here," the dirty-blond replied. "He might send them back to Alfea as spies."

"Maybe. Let's just see what he does," Stormy stated as she observed the faeries through the seeing glass.

...

"Sooo... Am I stating the obvious if I say this is all kinds of weird?" Techna asked as the girls looked around the hallway. "I mean, we were seconds away from being beaten into ground beef by a pair of angry trees and then they suddenly left."

"Well, Valtor has been merciful to us in the past," Aisha suggested.

"For a given value of merciful," Stella growled.

"So what now?" Bloom asked. "We could try to blast a hole through the walls, but I'm not sure how well fire would work."

Suddenly, the hallway undulated and one end opened up, revealing a bedroom. On a bed in the middle of it lay Lucy.

"So, that's a trap," Musa remarked dryly.

"That's not even the real Lucy," Mirta remarked. "It's an illusion."

"You can tell?" Stella asked.  
"Of course. My knack is illusions," Mirta replied. "Gives me an edge in detecting them."

"So what do we do?" Bloom asked. "The moment we step in there we're going to be flooded with angry witches or something."

"Indeed. We could try to trigger the trap in a way that benefits us. But we would have to know its exact nature," Flora agreed.

"I could hurl a grenade or two in there," Techna suggested.

"Or I could try to sense if there's somebody lying in ambush," Aisha said.

"Both good suggestions. I think..." Flora began, but then the girls felt the floor shift. The brunette turned around and her eyes widened. The first thing that hit her was the realization that the trap had actually been making them focus on an obviously fake trap. The second thing that hit her, and all of her companions, was the floor as it formed a wave and smashed into them. The girls were pushed screaming back, only to suddenly be dropped into a hole in the floor. They were then squeezed through a tube, turned up and down as they were forced through the, for a lack of better term, innards of Cloud Tower, before being shot out into the dark.

"Well. Now I know what I'll be seeing in my nightmares for the next couple of days," Musa mumbled. "Stella. Kindly get your posterior of my head. I can barely breathe".

"I'll... I'll try," Stella said as she rolled around. "Everything's spinning".

"I cannot see anything," Bloom complained. "Where's the floor?"

"Okay, I don't care who it is, but stop groping me," Techna said. "This is really not the time".

Slowly, the girls got untangled from their ungraceful landing. Stella raised her hand and a bright light turned on in it, revealing that they had landed in Cloud Tower's great meeting hall. Rows upon rows of empty seats surrounded them, all facing towards the podium.

Where Valtor stood, seemingly waiting for them to notice him.

"YOU!" Stella exclaimed as she saw him, preparing to blast him.

"Yes. Me," Valtor said, completely unfazed by the primed laser being pointed at him. "You know, it's actually quite funny. Stormy, Icy and Darcy were all complaining about how you kept showing up all the time. How no matter what, it was always you who came running to save the day. And I had to agree that it seemed to go way beyond coincidence. And with all of that in mind, it just strikes me as hilarious that of all the people who could have fallen into my trap, it would be you". He chuckled. "You have to admit, that is kinda funny".

"Where's Faragonda?" Bloom demanded.

"Really now, why would I tell you?" Valtor asked as he stepped around the podium. "You see, despite my warnings, you have done your best to be a thorn in my side. And thing is, I don't like that. So while I admire your tenacity, I really have to put a stop to this". He slowly walked towards them, confident smirk on his face. "Don't worry. When you wake up again, this will all be over. Sure, you'll probably miss out on a school year or two, but I'm sure your teachers will be understanding".

Both Bloom and Stella fired their respective elements at him, but Valtor countered by conjuring up a barrier.

"EVERYONE, SPREAD OUT!" Flora yelled. "UNLESS HE CAN TOUCH US, HE WILL NEED TO FOCUS TO USE HIS KNACK ON US! KEEP HAMMERING HIM FROM ALL SIDES!"

The others did as advised and ran in different directions while Bloom and Stella tried to keep the dandy magi at bay.

Valtor sighed in annoyance, before suddenly projecting the solid barrier forward. The raw magical force smacked into Bloom and Stella and launched the backwards into the seats.

Valtor began advancing, but he was suddenly hit by a burst of sound powerful enough to pop his eardrums. He turned annoyed towards the source as his ears fixed themselves, before pointing with his hand and firing a solar laser at Musa. The black-haired musician leapt for safety, a large part of her hair going up in smoke as she barely dodged. She hissed in pain as she landed, her dislocated knee flaring with agony. Grabbing on to one of the nearby chairs, she forced herself up again.

Suddenly, the well-dressed sorcerer's back was pelted with seeds that began sprouting into thick vines. He concentrated and willed the seeds to wilt, before ripping them apart. He turned towards Flora and launched another sphere of force. It ploughed through the seats, shattering them, before hitting the brunette's legs, knocking them away from under her. With several yelps, she tumbled down the rubble.

Valtor advanced toward the downed Flora, only for a grenade to suddenly go off by his side, shrapnel penetrating the side of his face and right arm.

"Yeah, take that you self-important fucking peacock!" Techna taunted him.

Valtor turned towards her, his face and arm rippling as it fixed themselves, as he with obvious annoyance noted: "You just had to ruin my coat, didn't you?"

Techna stared, before yelling: "OH, COME THE FUCK ON! THAT'S CHEATING!"

"I guess somebody won the super-knack lottery," Musa dryly commented as she shot him with another soundwave.

"I CALL HAX!" Techna yelled. "SOMEBODY SHOULD NERF HIM!" Her tirade was cut off by a ball of force smashing into her face.

Valtor got ready to fire another ball, but he was suddenly hit by something sharp and cold across his back. He turned around, noting that a big wound was already healing. It had been caused by Aisha conjuring a whip of water from a bottle she had been carrying in her backpack. It had also split Valtor's coat in half, the lower part now laying in a sad pile on the floor.

"And apparently, this is a thing now," he grumbled. "It would seem that just taking your sight wasn't enough to teach you a lesson". A fireball caught him from the side, incinerating one of the remaining sleeves. "Okay. I see how it is," he sighed as his arm mended. "Fine. We'll do this the hard way then."

"You don't scare us!" Stella yelled. "We've tots got the power of teamwork on our side."

"Oh, really?" Valtor replied and snapped his fingers. Several walls opened up, revealing dozens of possessed witches and the two transformed teachers. "Let's see how your teamwork gets you out of this."

"YOU JUST HAD TO SAY THAT!" Musa yelled at the surprised blonde.

...

"I'm starting to suspect that we won't find anything in this area," Palladium noted as he and Avalon walked down the same forest path that they had already walked five times.  
"Perhaps. But even so we must still remain here so that we are able to provide speedy assistance, should it be necessary," the paladin noted.  
"True enough," the elf agreed. "I do hope we find... Isn't that the pixies?"

The two teachers looked ahead, from where the five pixies were flying full speed towards them.  
"Is everything okay?" Avalon asked the diminutive beings as they stopped in front of them, hovering while trying to catch their breaths.

"We... We may... Have found... Something," Piff gasped. "Need help... With it... Though..."

"And what exactly did you find?" the paladin inquired.

"Well... We decided to try out my cards, since we couldn't find anything of importance anywhere else," Livy said. "And then I drew... Hang on a second... The angry bunny... The lonely cheese... Black duck on a green planet... Ah, here it is. I drew the empty pedestal, which means that we are missing something," she said, showing them the card in question.

Avalon blinked.

"Yeah, we were pretty unimpressed too at that point," Amore admitted.

"But then I drew the shadow in the dark," Livy continued. "Which means that something is hidden in a way that you cannot see. That was an important clue."

"Okay... Do go on," Palladium said supportively.

"I finally drew the aether," the blonde pixie said. "Which means it had to do with magic. And then Tune had an idea. Which was right. Turns out, Valtor had intentionally obscured the area with his magic, providing a false trail to follow".  
"Which makes us rather nervous considering the girls followed said trail," Tune interjected.

"But beneath it we found traces of Faragonda's magic," Livy said. "And found out where she went. And that's why we need your help."

The two teachers looked at each other.

"Alright then. Lead the way," Avalon said.

...

Aisha had to admit, flying was a somewhat pleasant experience. Had circumstances been better, she might even have found herself enjoying it. Of course, there was little to enjoy about the present circumstances, especially considering the pain she had just suffered and was probably about to suffer. With those thoughts in her mind, she finished her trip through the air and smashed into the seats.

The transformed Ediltrude, who had smacked her, grunted in satisfaction and turned towards other targets.

When they had been fighting Valtor alone, it had at least felt like an equal battle. But fighting both him and his minions wasn't even close to being equal.

Flora, Musa and Bloom had already been knocked, blasted and thrown around enough that they barely had the strength to remain conscious, a condition Aisha now joined them in.

Stella growled as she popped out of cover, blinding a couple of advancing witches as she ran down the rows, trying to stay ahead of the storm of projectiles that were launched at her. Angrily, she noted Valtor's presence, smugly observing them as it became more and more obvious that he was winning. Without her staff, the angry blonde found herself quickly running out of energy, but she was not going to give up. The moment she saw her chance, she leapt across the seats and sprinted at Valtor, whose attention was currently elsewhere.

"THIS IS FOR BRANDON!" she yelled angrily and punched him in the face as he turned to see where the noise was coming from.

"Oh. Still angry about that I see," he noted, voice slightly muffled from the fist buried in his cheek. "Please stop that". He grasped her wrist and pulled. Stella pulled back, wanting to put distance between herself and the dandy magi, and successfully tore herself free.

Somewhat successfully, anyway.

She stood for a moment, staring at Valtor as her brain tried to process what she was seeing. Valtor held up the pale arm, before throwing it to her with a: "I believe this is yours".

Stella grabbed and held up the detached limb, before staring at her shoulder were her right arm had been attached moments before. There was nothing but a smooth bump, as if the limb had been amputated decades ago. Then she stared at the arm again. She opened her mouth, as if trying to say something, before collapsing as the situation became too much for her.

Mirta stared at the scene, having successfully camouflaged herself as a chair. Flora had told her to stay hidden, but as she saw her new friends being beaten up one by one, she was more and more tempted to break cover and do something. But she didn't know what she could do. She bit her lip and prepared to jump into the fray, when she suddenly heard a voice ask: "Mirta? Is that you?"

The redhead looked behind her. "Discorda," she said in realization.

"Listen carefully," the pixie said, a strange staff in her hands. "I've been keeping an eye on Valtor and his minions. And I have an idea for how we can get out of this mess. But you have to do exactly as I say".

Out in the grand hall, Valtor nodded in satisfaction as one of his minions flanked Techna and hit her with a rock, sending the scarred girl screaming and cussing down a set of stairs. "And that was... Let's see... Four, five, six," the sorcerer counted. "Now where is Mirta hiding? I saw her just a moment ago". He noticed a shimmering to his right as Mirta's illusion broke and the girl herself rose up. All of his minions turned to face the new target, ready to fire at the slightest provocation. "Ah, there you are," Valtor stated. "So, are you also going to pointlessly flail your magic in my general direction or have you also realised the folly of fighting me?"

Mirta didn't respond. She just glowered at him.

Valtor's confident smirk faded at bit as part of his mind began screaming warning signals. He turned to look around, only to notice Discorda swinging her staff, causing Bloom and Aisha to sink into the ground. Flora was already making her way over to the pixie along with Musa. "Clever girls," Valtor mumbled and mentally signalled his minions to stop them.

The moment they turned to fire, Mirta unleashed the magic she had been charging. Suddenly, illusionary doppelgängers of the faeries appeared all over the room in various poses. And while Valtor could see through said illusions, his minions could not. The transformed teachers and controlled students suddenly all turned in random direction and began firing every way. Valtor immediately raised his barrier as he was almost bowled over by dozens of projectiles. The room was torn apart as everything but the kitchen sink was launched at the illusions.

"STOP!" Valtor yelled and his minions ceased firing. Slowly, the dust settled and as the sorcerer looked around, he could see neither hide nor hair of the faeries. He turned towards the nearest wall and forced the tower to create another viewing surface. "Right, let's see where you are," he said slightly annoyed. "Tower, show me where they are hiding". He paused as something came into view. "There we go," he said, his smirk returning. "Let's see, they're running towards the cafeteria and then... Turned into a bundle of strawberries... That were... Saved by miniature unicorns... On tricycles... Huh". He paused for a moment, then found himself chuckling despite his annoyance. "Clever friends you've got there, Phila," he quietly said to himself.

...

"I haven't felt this bad since... Well, last school year to be honest," Techna groaned as she lay on the cold stone floor. "Seriously, I've been beaten up a lot ever since coming to Alfea." She paused. "Funny thing is my mother was certain sending me here would keep me out of trouble."

"Yeah we..." Musa started, but suddenly winced as Flora worked on putting her leg back together. "We've been through the grinder a couple of times. Sure could have used ouch... A mention of that in the brochure."

"There, that's the best I can do right now," Flora stated, a prominent black eye and tear in her lip marking her face.

"Thanks for saving us. Both of you," Aisha said gratefully to Discorda and Mirta. "But what did you do?"

"Cloud Tower has these control rods, in case of emergencies," Discorda answered. "You may remember that Darkar had one. Well, after his defeat, it was given to me. So now I hopefully own all of them. Anyway, not even Valtor's control trumps them, so I can move around the tower unseen. When I heard the commotion, I came to assist."

"But won't we risk him finding us again?" Bloom asked.

"Unlikely. These basement levels are not part of the living building, the staff hides us from the tower's eyes and Mirta created a couple of illusions to keep its attention elsewhere," the pixie explained.  
"Nothing much, but it should keep him occupied. Apparently, the tower itself is not immune to illusions," Mirta added.

"But now that we've gotten a break, what exactly are you doing here?" the guardian pixie of Cloud Tower inquired.  
"We came here looking for Faragonda," Bloom said. "Do you know where she is?"

"No, but I do know where the prison cells are. Maybe she'll be there," Discorda suggested. "I haven't checked the cells in quite a while". She turned around and flew down the hall with a: "Follow me, everybody".

They all followed the pixie, slowly making their way through the dark and ancient basement.

"So, like, what is this place?" Stella asked, carrying her detached limb in her hand.

"This is all part of the tower's original foundation," Discorda explained. "Before they grew the living building. That wasn't part of the original designs, but I'm personally happy that they did. Otherwise, I would never have met my dear tower. But since Cloud Tower has its own basement, this area was almost completely abandoned. Griffin had it renovated for use as storerooms. I gather some of the witches were imprisoned here while the Usurpers reigned". She turned a corner and said: "Here they are. The cells".

Indeed, rows of rooms protected with iron bars were on either side of the hallway.

At the end was a final cell, within which a shape moved. "Girls," Griffin said surprised as she peaked out through the bars. "How did you get here?"

"Long story," Bloom said as she went up to the bars. "We'll tell you later. Stand back, I'll get you out".

"Don't," Griffin warned her. "Valtor has enchanted the bars. Not only are they resistant to damage, they will also alarm him of the escape attempt".

"Which would blow what little cover we have managed to create," Flora said.

"It's better that you just leave me here for now," the witch headmistress continued. "Even with my help, you would not stand a chance against Valtor and his forces".

"As we found out the hard way," Musa commented.

"But have you seen Faragonda then?" Aisha inquired. "She disappeared after Valtor attacked Alfea".

Griffin looked shocked, before sighing and telling them: "No. And I am sad to hear that you too have suffered. If Valtor has brought Faragonda to Cloud Tower, she has not been placed down here". She rubbed her chin speculatively. "But there is a way you might find out. Discorda, take them to the heart".

"I will," the pixie said with a salute.

"But what about you?" Bloom asked.  
"As I said, you cannot bust me out without risking everything," Griffin reported. "Don't worry. I know Valtor. He won't hurt me".

"You know him?" Stella echoed confused.

"Yes, we..." the headmistress said, before pausing. Then she sighed and said: "We were both once part of the Coven, the followers of the Ancestral Witches. I changed side before it was over, Valtor didn't. Therefore, I got off with a short trip to Lightrock, whereas Valtor got imprisoned on Omega".

"You almost sound sad for him," Musa snorted.

"I am. He's a good friend of mine," Griffin added. "Even now. But that does not mean I will not help stop him. I will. But there's nothing I can do at the moment except give you a chance at finding Faragonda. Just be aware that she might be imprisoned like me. Valtor is not the type to leave things like that to chance. And Bloom," she continued, locking eyes with the redhead. "Be careful. Valtor has a history with your family and you should not antagonize him. He is a dangerous enemy. Find Faragonda, get her out if possible and stay out of Valtor's way."

"Such messages have a habit of going in one ear and passing out the other," Flora commented slightly annoyed.

"Anyway, let's go," Discorda said as she began flying again. "I know how we can get to the heart."

...

"Here we are," the black-haired pixie said as she opened the wall. "The heart of Cloud Tower".

The girls slowly walked into the room and found themselves surrounded by monuments, statues and dedications.

"So, can you also open the heart for us?" Bloom asked.

"Of course I can," Discorda said proudly. "No point in bringing you here if I couldn't". She swung the staff and the main monument moved around, revealing the softly glowing chamber within. The girls made their way inside, almost standing on top of each other in the small room which Discorda sealed after them.

"Well, this is uncomfortable," Aisha remarked.

"Better than risking being caught out in the open," Techna noted. "Also, Mirta. That's my foot".

"Oh, sorry," the redhead said as she moved.  
"Now you're standing on my foot," Musa stated.

"Look, let us just get the information and then get out," Flora said. "We can all handle a little bit of discomfort while we wait. Discorda, how do we get the info?"

"Cloud Tower remembers a lot. Even while being controlled by Valtor, it should be able to recall things," Discorda said as she gently touched the glowing wall. "Come on. You can do it," she gently whispered to it. "Where is Faragonda?"

The glow suddenly intensified and the girls suddenly found themselves seeing Valtor's office.

"So, did you... Kill her?" Stormy carefully asked the dandy sorcerer, who was looking out the window.

"Of course not. Would be a senseless waste of life," Valtor stated. "No, I've just taken my precautions. I made a false trail to Cloud Tower to delay their search, but they'll find her eventually. What I've done is making sure it won't matter. She will not be able to help them."

"Oh. So where is she?" Stormy inquired.  
"Back in the forest where we fought," Valtor remarked. "She's very well camouflaged, let me tell you".

Then the vision ended.

"Are. You. Kidding. Me?" Flora hissed. "This whole trip was pointless? She was in the forest the entire time?"

"Apparently so," Bloom said nervously. She seemed to shrink a bit from the withering glare Flora suddenly sent her.

"Okay, you were right from the start, Flora," Musa said, worried that the brunette might start hurting people. "We're sorry we've dragged you into this. We should have listened to you from the start".

"Yes. You should," Flora remarked. "But you never do". She sighed. "But I know you meant well. It is just frustrating that you never seem to really think these things through."

"So, we're forgiven?" Mirta asked carefully.

"Yes, yes. Let us just get out of here before anything else goes wrong," the Limphean noble stated.

"Oh, I can help with that," Discorda said. "Do give my regards to the others and tell them I'll be keeping an eye on things."

"Okay, so how exARRRGGGHHHH!" Musa yelled as the floor opened under them, letting them fall into another tube.

...

"So it is confirmed then," Avalon sighed. Darkness had fallen across the woods and above them, the faraway stars twinkled. Light radiated from the paladin's body, illuminating the glade.

"Indeed," Wizgiz, who had been called out by the others, replied. "It's just as bad as what happened with Stella. But I doubt it can be solved the same way."

"If what they reported was true, one has to be conscious to use the mirror," Palladium added. "And, well..."

The teachers became silent. The pixies had flown home after Wizgiz had arrived, well aware that there was nothing more they could do.

"There must be some way to cure her," Avalon said determined.

"If we could develop a counterspell to break Valtor's control, maybe," Palladium said. "But I have yet to create such a spell. I've made progress, but it is a fiendishly cleverly designed enchantment."

The three teachers suddenly heard some rustling from the bushes.

"Halt! Who goes there!?" Avalon sharply demanded as he shone his light at the bushes.

"It's just us, Professor Avalon," Bloom said, shielding her eyes from the light.

"Thanks the spirits you're all okay," Palladium sighed happily, as the girls entered the glade. "When the pixies told us you had followed Valtor's false trail, we feared... The... Worst..." he slowly said as he noticed the girls' dishevelled appearance.

"It has been a rough day," Flora noted.

"What happened?" Wizgiz asked. "Did he... Stella, is that yer arm?"

"Afraid so," Stella said as she held up the detached limb. "I just hope Ophelia can fix it".

"She, ehm, she should be able to," Palladium said, unsure of how to react.

"We'll tell you everything afterwards," Musa said, before yawning. "But right now, I need a rest".

"Though we do have some important info," Flora said. "We managed to find out that Valtor..."

"Hid Faragonda in the woods. Yes, the pixies discovered that hours ago," Avalon interrupted.

"Well, it is nice to have it confirmed that out trip was completely and utterly pointless," Flora mumbled, glaring at the others out of the corner of her eyes.

The other faeries did their best not to look at her, guilty expressions marking their faces.

"Anyway, you deserve to know what we've found out," Palladium said. "We found Faragonda". He gestured at a perfectly normal looking tree with his hand.

"Is that...?" Musa began surprised.

"Faragonda? Yes, Valtor transformed her into a tree," the elf confirmed. "And her mind has been locked away. For all intents and purposes, she is now a completely ordinary tree. And the enchantment is as hard to break as it usually is. We will be doing our best, but for now it would seem that Faragonda will not be joining us for a while".

"Well, at least we know where she is," Bloom remarked a bit sadly. "We'll be going back to Alfea now, if that is okay".

"It is. Though we will expect the full story tomorrow," Avalon said.

"Do not worry. You will get it," Flora said, before the girls made their way back towards the school.

"So... At least she's... Well, maybe not okay," Techna tried as they followed the path home, the road lit by Stella. "But now we know where she is."

"Small comfort," Mirta remarked. "If her mind has been locked away, that means they cannot contact her. I was better off when I was a pumpkin. At least I could be communicated with".

"Well, there's nothing to do but... Aisha? Are you okay?" Bloom asked the princess of Tides, who had suddenly stopped on the road.

"Oh, me? Yes, I am okay," she confirmed. "I just... Felt like somebody was watching me".

The girls stood still and stared into the surrounding darkness.

"I don't see anything," Stella remarked, her beam of light dancing across the fallen leaves.

"Doesn't mean that there wasn't anything," Musa said.

"Should we go looking?" Bloom asked.  
"No. It would be too dangerous. Let us just get back to Alfea so that we may recuperate," Flora said and the girls continued down the road.

And out in the darkness, a shape slowly moved out of its hiding spot.


	12. The Black Willow's Tears

Chapter 12: The Black Willow's Tears

Wizgiz pulled another book from his shelf and put it on his desk, adding to the steadily growing mountain of tomes. He opened the book and began going through its content, occasionally writing something down on a piece of paper, its blank surface almost black from the sheer amount of notes. He felt fatigue setting in, but a wave of magic burned it away.

For three days, he had been working hard, making phone calls, sending mails, comparing notes and doing everything in his power to figure out how to reverse Valtor's curse, in-between his doing his job of teaching transformation classes. At this point, he was running purely on his own magic.

He briefly turned his attention to his computer, which informed him that he had gotten a new message. He read a couple of pages, made notes and then returned to the books. He compared some notes, checked a reference guide and returned to the message on his computer.

He had possibly found the answer.

Rubbing his eyes, he grabbed his phone and made a call. Half an hour later, Flora walked in through his door. "You wanted to see me, Professor Wizgiz," she greeted him.

"Yes. Please, take a seat," the leprechaun offered. "As ye probably know, I've been working hard on devising a way to overcome Valtor's curse and free Faragonda from her current form".

"Your absence from many things outside the classes have been noticed, yes," the brunette said.

"Well, as with everything that git conjures up, the curse that binds Faragonda is layered and complicated," the transformation expert explained. "Biggest problem is the fact that he sealed Faragonda's mind away. Her imprint is locked away, more or less rendering her permanently comatose. And much like with Stella, her self image has been altered so that it will work against any transformations that I do on my own".

"And the solution is?" Flora asked.

"To kick start her imprinted mind with a heavy dose of concentrated magical energy," Wizgiz explained. "Enough to get through the seal with brute force. From there, we should be able to cooperate with Faragonda herself in undoing the layers of spells. But that whole kick starting thing, now that's what makes this complicated. But I have a possible solution and I think you can help me get it to work". He paused. "Ever heard of the black willows?"

"Yes. They are rather famous on my home planet," the Limphean noble replied. "The most magical trees in the multiverse. Produces a liquid often referred to as tears, which is so magical it randomly enchants the environment. Rather rare though".

"Indeed. Thing is, I could place an order, but we would be furthest back in line. Who knows how long Faragonda will remain in her current state?" Wizgiz continued. "It could take years".

"I see. Since I am a noble, I could place a special requisition that would have to be served first," Flora agreed. "Or at least before most. I would normally not use my authority for such, but I think I can make an exception for this".

"Don't worry, lassie. I have no plans for using you to make all my business on Limphea expedient," the leprechaun assured her. "But Faragonda needs our help sooner rather than later".

"I cannot just order it from here though," Flora informed him. "I will need to be identified in order to make such a requisition. In fact, I would have to go to Arboreas itself to place said order". She paused. "Could go this weekend. It is not like I have anything else planned".

"If you need to take time off outside the weekend, I'll be more than happy to grant you leave," Wizgiz offered. "And if this will be a safe journey, feel free to take your friends along".

"We would only need to visit Arboreas and Dasos. Transport between the two cities should also be safe," Flora remarked. "Could make for a nice trip. Okay, I will do my best to acquire a sample of the tears as quickly as possible. I will call you if there are any complications".

"Splendid. You have a continued good day now, lassie," Wizgiz offered her as the brunette left the office. As the leprechaun began cleaning his desk, he briefly noted the rather large beetle that was sitting on his windowsill, which flew off the moment he spotted it. He peeked out the window, trying to spot where it went, but found himself unable to do so.

Outside his office, Flora was immediately surrounded by her very curious friends.

"So, what did he want?" Bloom asked.

"He has asked me to use my position as a noble to get him an ingredient required to free Faragonda," the brunette explained. "So I will be going home to Limphea".

"Hey, could I come along?" Techna asked. "I've always wanted to see that place".

"Why would you want to visit an overgrown, monster-infested death world?" Musa inquired.

"The question holds the answer, Cacophony," the scarred girl replied with an excited grin.

"Limphea is known to be dangerous, but the incidents you hear about are mostly about people who do not know what they are doing," Flora explained. "Ignorance is deadly. But we will only be going to two major towns located in one of the safer areas, so there should be no issues".

"Yeah. Should," Musa pointed out. "But even when we go to completely safe places we usually end up getting burned".

"I'd, like, call you a pessimist, but you tots have a point," Stella noted.

"I think Limphea is the only one of our homeworlds we all haven't visited yet," Aisha noted. "So I'd like to come along and see it".

"And if Flora says it should be safe, I'd like to come along too," Bloom added.

"I better come along too. Just in case things do go wrong," Musa added. "What about you, Stella?"

"Hmm, like, I could totally use some inspiration for my newest creation," the blonde noted. "I've run into a, if you will, designer's block".

"Shame. I saw what you're working on. It'll look good when finished," Techna said supportively.

"Are you kidding? The thing looks like a death threat," Musa commented. "Pointing it at somebody is probably a major crime in most civilised realms".

"Keep that up and I might accidentally feed you to the animals," Stella grumbled.

...

Valtor sat at the desk while browsing online on Griffin's computer, occasionally comparing what he found with what was written in the books that filled the surface of the desk. He was constantly switching between determining his next target and just going on information binges in order to catch up on the last two decades, something he had not been able to do on Andros due to the merfolk's lack of technology. Their habitat meant that everything electronic had to be waterproofed and enchanted, which raised prices considerably.

As he chuckled at an article about the greatest royal screw-ups over the last five years, Icy, Darcy and Stormy entered, followed by Lucy. The dandy sorcerer greeted them with a: "So, anything new?" his attention still focused on his online entertainment.

"Yes. Lucy here reports that they are getting close to finding a cure for Faragonda," Darcy explained. "Specifically, they intend to break your seal with brute force by using tears from a black willow".

"Clever," Valtor remarked. "Though I don't imagine they've become any easier to get". He paused for a brief second. "Note to self. Investigate how Limphea's been doing the last sixteen years".

"Actually, they've found a way around that," the dirty-blond continued. "They plan on sending Flora. As a noble of Limphea, she can skip many of the hoops others have to jump through".

"Okay," the well-dressed sorcerer remarked.

"So they'll be going to Limphea. This will be the perfect opportunity to crush them," Icy said excitedly.

"No," Valtor stated with barely any interest.

"Oh. Okay then," Stormy said with a shrug. "Well then, guess I'll go back to watering..."  
"Wait, what!?" Icy exclaimed. "Why not?"

"Because it would be a pointless expenditure of time and resources," the well-dressed sorceror remarked. "Nothing to gain, a lot to lose".

"But they might cure Faragonda," Darcy pointed out.

"And?" Valtor asked. "I have no interest in keeping her trapped. Alfea is no longer a target and she is too smart to attack me where I'm strongest. By the time she can gather the support necessary to evict me, we'll be gone. So chasing down a fairy or two on Limphea of all places really strikes me as a sucker's game". He returned to his browsing. "Do not let your personal bloodthirst blind you to strategic gains and losses".

"I see your point. But could Faragonda not become a considerable danger in the future?" Darcy inquired.

"Doubtful. Age has hit her hard and she is not as powerful as she once was," Valtor remarked. "Now, if that was all, I'd like some quiet for my research".

Icy scowled, before stomping out, muttering curses as she went.

"Couldn't she at least keep my mother out of this?" Valtor sighed. "I mean, I was never that fond of her, but still..."

"You heard what she... Of course you did. Let me guess, you gain super senses whenever you want?" Stormy asked.

The dandy mage nodded and replied: "Pretty much so. By the way, when you leave could you go check up on her. You're much closer to her than I am and I seem to have dashed her hopes to itty bitty pieces". The surface of the desk wavered a bit and a cup of tea emerged from it. "Thank you," Valtor said to the tower as he took the hot drink.

"Her own fault. We told her she shouldn't expect Valtor to approve of her little manhunt," Stormy noted as the two witches left the office.

"So, you seem happy about this," Darcy noted as they walked down the hallway.

"Well, I just didn't feel like it would be a good idea," the wild-haired witch admitted. "It doesn't seem like Isabella wants to do this because of anything other than her own fucked-up desire to stomp on those six. I mean, what's her fucking deal?"

"That whole improbable ratio of run-ins I imagine," Darcy remarked. "But I see Valtor's point. On the other hand, Faragonda could become a considerable threat later, but that doesn't necessarily mean interfering now will be worth it".

They both suddenly stopped as they felt a surge of magic flow through the tower.

"What in the Abyss?" Stormy remarked shocked.

"Maria, Icy was completely certain that we were going to go, right?" Darcy asked, a rather annoyed expression slowly manifesting on her face.

"Very much so," the wild-haired witch responded.

"And she spent a really long time in the library before we headed for Valtor's office, right?" Darcy continued her inquiries.  
"Yeah. It seemed rather strange that she didn't think we should tell Valtor immediately," Stormy continued. "Why?"  
"And she only decided to delay telling Valtor after we told her that there was probably no way Valtor would consider it a good idea, even if there were a few points of merit," Darcy said. "In other words, let's get to the library". The two of them hurried down the stairs and charged into the great repository of books, just in time to see Icy jump through a crackling hole in the air.

"For fucks sake," Stormy hissed as the two of them also charged through, landing in a sunny meadow. Tall trees surrounded them and coloured flowers mixed with the grass under their. She looked around for a few seconds, before angrily asking. "The fuck are you up to?"

"Look. I don't care what Valtor thinks," Icy remarked. "Those six have gotten in our way again and again. Away from Alfea, we have the best odds of getting rid of them for good. And if you two want to stay home and be Valtor's puppies, be my fucking guests". Then she unfolded a map and started marching off.

"What do we do?" Stormy asked her dirty-blond companion. "This is Limphea, right? This place is crazy dangerous".

"Then let's help her out. As annoying as she is, losing her would still be a blow to our operations," Darcy remarked as they hurried to follow the white-haired witch, leaving the portal behind.

...

As the ship flew through the layer of clouds, Bloom looked out at the city of Dasos. At first, it struck her as a rather normal looking town. But then she noticed the edges.

Dasos was completely surrounded by a vast network of walls and towers, many of which reminded Bloom of pictures of bunkers she had seen on Earth. Outside stretched a seemingly endless sea of trees on one end and a vast blue ocean on the other.

"Well, security's taken care of," Techna commented. "Yo, Flowergirl. Is all that really necessary?"

"Well, Dasos does lie in one of the safer areas. It is why it was chosen to have a spaceport," Flora explained. "In the more dangerous area, we cannot even have open air traffic like this".

"Because of the wild animals?" Stella asked.

"Animals, plants, weather and the occasional chemicals," Flora elaborated. "Only thing to worry about out here is jungle behemoths, dissolvore swarms and the occasional ravenous bugblatter beast. And some species of plants of course. But the walls keep them out just fine".

The vessel landed and the girls made their way through the terminal. As they showed their papers to the personal, the girls suddenly heard an excited voice call out: "Hey, sis. Hey, I am over here". They turned to watch, noticing a girl hurry through the crowd. She looked to be three or four years younger than Flora, with a similar sunkissed complexion. Her hair was a fiery orange however, sharply contrasting the brunette's comparatively dull colour. Around her neck hung a wooden amulet, inlaid with what looked like several pearls and runes.

"Hello, Miele," Flora greeted the girl. "Everyone, this is my little sister. She asked to join us when I told here we were coming".

The other girls exchanged greetings with the newcomer.

As they left the terminal behind them, Miele asked: "So, you did not come home for your last birthday. What happened?"

"School has been rather busy, what with a renegade mad magi causing all kinds of chaos," Flora commented. "I have not exactly had much time".

"Yeah, I heard you've gotten involved with a lot of things lately," the orange-haired girl stated. "What happened to 'Stay calm and let the professionals handle it'?"

"I suddenly had to keep an eye on those five," Flora commented, indicating her friends with a thumb.

"Come on, we had some fun," Techna pointed out.

"Yes, remember when we went to Andros and Valtor blinded Aisha. Fun," Musa sarcastically commented.

"Well, we did end up saving the queen of Jezero. Plus, I'm fine now," the princess of Tides stated.

"Which means we accomplished a lot more than when we went looking for Faragonda at Cloud Tower," Stella noted.

"And you used to be so good at staying out of trouble," Miele commented with a playful smirk.

"Yes. I do so miss those days," Flora sighed. "So next, we will be taking a sky bus to Arboreas. There we can get the tears, spend the rest of the day relaxing and then go back home tomorrow".

"It won't be that simple," Musa mused. "It never is".

...

"Did you hear that?" Stormy nervously asked as she turned around and peered into the thicket. "Did that sound dangerous?"

"It's Limphea. Everything is dangerous," Darcy commented.

"Yes. So why are we here?" the wild-haired witch asked, before jumping at another noise. "No equipment, no training and we ain't got as much as a sliver of fucking hope".

"Did you think I came here unprepared?" Icy asked annoyed. An annoyance that only deepened when she saw her compatriot's expression. "Well, I did not. I prepared a couple of rituals".

"Is one of them 'ward off dangerous wildlife'?" Stormy asked. "Because that's the one we'll be needing any second now".

"No. Better," Icy said as she unfolded a piece of parchment. "I'll need you to give me a hand with this. Your knack should make this easier".

"Alright. Fine then," Stormy sighed and lent Icy her hand.

The white-haired witch focused and slowly clouds started forming around them. Lightning crackled inside them as they condensed into the solid forms of viscous looking beings. The flock of creatures stood on four limbs, eyeless faces turned towards their creators, black wings crackling with electricity stretching from their backs.

"Storm imps," Darcy noted.

"Great. Means we'll have something to feed to the monsters that will be coming for us any second now," Stormy muttered.

"Would you fucking quit it with your pessimism? They're here to find those faeries and hopefully take care of them," Icy explained. "And even if they can't, we'll still know where they are. We're near Dasos, so it's nowhere near as dangerous as the more infamous areas of the planet. Did you really think I would send us to one of the more lethal areas just to get at those six?"

"You would, if necessary," Darcy pointed out. "It's not that you can't plan. It's that you are not a long-term thinker. Remember Lucy? Your revenge plan against her? Didn't exactly pan out, now did it?"

"I'll show you panning out," Icy grumbled as she sent the imps flying with a motion of her arm.

...

"Kinda eerie, isn't it," Bloom commented, starring up at the horizon.

Flora had gone inside the office building to both get the recent news and secure them a ride to Arboreas, leaving the others outside with her sister.

"Hmm? What is?" Miele asked as she followed the redhead's gaze. Behind the blue of the sky, the blurry image of a enormous planet could be seen. "Oh, Marigold. You get used to it".

"Isn't it a little, you know, close?" Bloom asked.  
"Not really, no," Flora's sister replied. "Limphea is actually one of the many moons that circle the gas giant. It just so happens that we circle the opposite way that the giant circles the sun, so we never get trapped behind it. Unlike Omega for example. They barely get any light".

"I have secured us transport," Flora said as she stepped out, gaining her friends' attention. "All that is really happening right now is a large flock of gnaars moving north, but they will not bother a sky bus. Follow me. I will take you to our transport".

"So are these sky buses public transport around here?" Stella asked Flora. "Like the bus back on Alfea?"

"I suppose so, but the thing is it does not move according to a set schedule," the brunette replied. "Transport between cities occur when it is safe. Gives us some infrastructural issues, but it is better than risking everyone".

"Well, 'spose being late is better than being eaten by flying doom mites or whatever else you got crawling around," Techna commented as Flora led them around the building to the landing pads.

On a slightly raised platform of concrete stood the sky bus, a compact and armoured vessel whose colour ranged from sky blue to leaf green. "Camouflage," Flora explained as they headed into the vessel.

The inside of the sky bus was very spartan, only containing twelve very upholstered seats with very tight belts and a few panels above said seats.

"Isn't this... A bit of a tight squeeze?" Stella asked uncomfortably as the strap pushed against her ribs.

"Trust me. Less uncomfortable than a fracture," Flora replied. "Crash landings do not tend to be gentle and the ratio of incidents do skew towards the higher end of the scale here on Limphea".

"Because that's what we like to hear," Musa sarcastically said. "That we'll be trapped inside a metal can with a statistically increased risk of death by sudden encounter with gravity".

The radio suddenly crackled and a male voice informed them that: "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We will now be flying to Arboreas. Please stay in your seat at all times and do not hesitate to contact the personnel if there are any issues. Thank you". The vessel began humming and then gently took off.

As they began fly above the lush landscape below, Bloom asked: "Is... Is it really as dangerous as everyone says?"

"Limphea no doubts has quite the exaggerated reputation," Flora told her. "Sure, incidents happen and some of them are quite gruesome. But Bloom, it is not like opening a window will get you killed everywhere. Were that the case, the planet could never have been settled. Limphea has areas that are dangerous and areas that are very dangerous. But like all dangers, the best way to counter them is with knowledge and common sense".

"And a healthy disregard for your own life," Musa snarked.

"Eh, nothing wrong with a little danger," Miele noted with a shrug. "Besides, I hear you girls get in danger all the time".

"If any one of you start complaining about that, I will hurl you out of the ship," Flora noted in a frighteningly conversational tone.

"Duly noted," Stella commented. "Hey, like, what's that? Tots looks like a thundercloud".

The others looked out the windows to see the dark and occasionally flashing mass moving towards them.

"That is weird," Flora noted, eyebrow raised. "The weather should be clear today".

"Also, what cloud moves against the wind?" Miele asked as she peered out.

"No ordinary cloud," the brunette commented. She pressed the button, contacting the personnel. "Hello, there appears to be a storm cloud moving against the wind towards the sky bus".

"It has been noted," a female voice replied. "We have veered slightly off course to avoid it".

"Yeah, but I think the cloud has other plans," Bloom noted. "Because it's changing course too".

As the cloud closed in it began breaking apart, revealing the winged forms within.

"Are those native wildlife?" Aisha asked concerned.

"No. Storm imps," Flora said.

"Who's sending storm imps after us?" Stella asked.  
"Try making an educated guess," Musa commented annoyed.

The sky flashed as the magical constructs unleashed blasts of lightning at the sky bus, rocking the vessel.

"I... I think I'd... Like to... Get down now," Stella commented, looking decidedly green.

"Are we going to crash?" Bloom asked, fighting to keep her voice from trembling.

"No. The lightning rods should take care of their blasts," Flora said as she kept an eye on the attacking creatures. "I am more concerned what will happen if they get closer".

The girls could feel a small rush as the vessel sped up, flying faster to get free from the attacking flock. The creatures constantly tried to close in, occasionally grabbing on to the vessel. But whenever they did, the sky bus would suddenly turn sharply, flinging them off with a sound like nails against a blackboard.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking," started the radio. "We are currently being attacked by a vicious swarm of magical constructs. We advise that you remain calm and stay in your seats. Should the turbulence cause discomfort, bags are in the small cabinet above your heads. As a result of this, dinner will be delayed until we are no longer under attack. If there are any questions, please contact the personnel via the small red button above. Thank you and have a continued nice afternoon".

"Well, somebody sure is calm!" Musa exclaimed as the vessel rocked again.

"Doesn't this thing have some guns or something?" Techna loudly asked as she clung to her seat. "I mean, Dragon's flaming breath, this is Limphea. You guys can barely change your fucking underwear without having to fight off a monster or two".

"Weapon systems are heavy. The sky buses rely on camouflage and speed," Flora said.

"Just do not panic," Miele warned them, looking slightly paler herself. "The sky buses are built to withstand considerable abuse. If we can just get in range of Arboreas, well..."

The windows flashed as lightning danced outside. And then the thunder was replaced by another sound.

Bloom peered outside, just in time to watch a storm imp be torn apart by a projectile.

Flora breathed out and said: "We have reached Arboreas. The defences there will take care of them".

As several of the imps were shot out of the air, the rest broke off and retreated.

"Well, that reminded me of that one time we got surprised by a storm while on our way to vacation," Aisha stated relieved. "Though obviously it didn't involve as many imps. Or any imps at all for that matter. You okay, Stella?"

"N... No... BLEEEUGGHHH!" came the sound as the Solarian royal emptied her stomach into the provided bag.

...

As the girls left the sky bus, Bloom threw a glance back at the vessel. Long scratch marks marred its camouflage. Workers and engineers were already descending upon the vessel to quickly get it back to flyable condition.

"Next stop would be the supply office," Flora stated as they walked through the sky bus terminal and into Arboreas proper.

The city was filled with life, with large throngs of people walking around. Weaved in between the houses were patches of grass, bushes and trees, making the entire city seem like it had gently fused with a forest. Far above them, shielding the city from the outside, hummed a forcefield.

"So I take it it's a wee bit more dangerous around here than by Dasos," Musa stated.

"Well, mostly because of the plants," Miele said. "There are some rather nasty sorts and if they get in, well, they would spread rather quickly. That is why the force field is necessary. A bunker complex just would not cut it for this".

"Well, I'd say it's worth it," Stella noted. "This place is delightful. But not a lot of traffic".

"Given that transport between cities is entirely handled by the different realms, personally owning a vehicle for travel is not necessary," Flora explained. "In the city, if you want to get around fast there is usually a railway or similar".

"Of course, some people do own their own transports. Mostly people who have to work outside the cities," Miele added. "You know, like scientists and such".

As they continued their trip through Arboreas, Bloom found herself forgetting about all the supposed dangers that lurked outside. She started to see why people liked it on Limphea.

Not long after, they arrived at the supply office, which looked like an average government building, being kinda boxy and drab. The girls walked up the couple of stone steps, went through the automatic doors and marched up to the counter, where a bored looking middle-aged woman was busy with her computer. The only indication that she had noticed them was that her eyes turned to them.

"Hello, I am Flora Cato, a noble. I am here to make a special requisition for a vial of black willow tears," Flora explained. "Here are my papers".

The lady grabbed the documentration and began reading through them. "Everything looks to be in order," she drawled. "But I have bad news for you. Due to an unexpected swarm of polkanauts, there have not been any extractions lately. So we're fresh out. If you want, you can go with the next team. Papers says you are qualified. So you can tap some straight from the source. But they leave in half an hour, so you better make up your mind soon".

"Why can't she just wait here until they come back?" Stella asked confused.

"Because regulations dictate how much of that substance we can bring back at the time. Safety regulations," the woman emphasised. "And what we bring back has already been reserved by some other bigwigs that made special requisitions. And union regulations say that our teams get at least one day off for every day of work. So unless you can wait the rest of the week for this, going along is the quickest way. Means we will be bringing a little less back, but it is not like that will matter in the long run".

"I suppose that is for the best then," Flora sighed. "Alright everybody, you will have to stay here for a while. I am sure Miele can help make you comfortable until I return tomorrow in time for us to get back to Alfea".

"What? But I have not even gotten you your birthday present yet," Miele protested while pouting. "I need to pick it up. Had it deposited and everything".

"I am sorry, but Faragonda needs our help. You can give it to me next time," Flora said empathetically, before rushing off.

"So it's okay when _she_ decided to run out on a dangerous mission, but when we do it, we're thoughtless suicide candidates," Musa commented.  
"Well, she does have the training. She never said anything about any of you having that," Miele pointed out.

"Yeah. Still, would like to give her a hand," Techna sighed. "We haven't had the best of luck lately. Crew should stick together, you know".

The orange-haired girl rubbed her chin. "You know, just for reference, if there is the slightest concern with the equipment, it would delay the team as they would have to go through everything again," she said absent-mindedly. "Time enough that somebody could sneak on-board if need be. You know, just a thought. Anyway, I will be going for a walk". And then she waltzed out.

"You know," Techna started as they watched the girl leave. "I think one could create a completely harmless problem, if need be".

"And how easily could one do that, hypothetically speaking?" Stella inquired.

The scarred girl snapped her fingers with a smile and a: "That easily".

...

Though the people of Limphea themselves relied much on air transport to get between cities, it didn't mean they did not have roads. Usually, paths through the landscape were chosen on the basis of work. For example, one trail stretched from Arboreas to the Water Stairway, where one of the rare black willows grew. And it was down this trail a bulky, threaded and camouflaged vehicle with Flora on board drove.

"I do hope I did not cause any trouble by jumping on the mission the very last second," the Limphean noble stated politely.

"Goodness no," the team leader, a muscular freckled woman with blond hair, responded. "We were going to be delayed anyway. Not your fault. Had some trouble with one of the hoses".

"Ah, I see," Flora stated. "Very well then".

Behind the two sat the other team members, a muscular man and woman whom Flora had learned were a brother-sister engineering team. They continued to drive in silence, the team leader, whose name was Rebecca, constantly watching the wilderness around them for signs of trouble.

"If I may, what was the problem with the hose?" Flora inquired.

"Wasn't anything," the male engineer, Thomas, said. "Jest acted up and then the darn thing stopped acting up. Weird. Then we had to check all the parts again, just fer safety".

"I... See," the brunette slowly stated. A niggling suspicion started tingling in the back of her mind. "Excuse me for a second. I need to check something," she said as pushed her way into the rear of the vehicle, supporting herself on the vibrating seats. She stepped through a door and entered the cramped cargo room, equipment and boxes stashed tightly. The brunette's keen eyes scanned the room. And it seemed like there was a bit more cargo stashed than she remembered. She took a deep breath, prayed that she was wrong, approached one of the seemingly surplus boxes and ripped the lid open.

"Ehm... Hi, Flora," Musa said as she looked up. "So, seem like we just keep running into each other. Funny, huh?" Flora immediately smashed the lid down again, resulting in a muffled: "OUCH! That hurt".

The Limphean noble took a deep breath as she counted down from twenty. She stared at her own reflection in one of the metal containers, before smashing her forehead against it. Feeling the stress leaving her, she opened the box with a: "How many of you?"

"Well... All of us," Musa admitted, seeing no point in hiding it. The lid came crashing down again, causing the black-haired girl to exclaim: "ARGH! Spirits above and below, would you stop doing that?"

"Unbelievable. Just... Unbelievable," the brunette sighed frustratedly.

Suddenly, the vehicle came to a halt, causing everything to slightly shift.

"Did we arrive?" Aisha asked as she popped out of her box.

The lid in Flora's hand slightly cracked as her grip tightened. "Stay," she ordered as she stomped out of the room.

"Sheesh, she's getting kinda pissy," Musa commented annoyed as she popped out of her box, rubbing her sore head. "No need to smack me like that".

"Did you see her face? She looked ready to snap you in half," Techna chuckled as she left her box. "Better not provoke her. I think she knows how to make you regret it". One by one, the girls popped out and made their way through the car, stepping outside in the humid air. Not far from the vehicle stood the three team members and Flora, vigorously discussing something.

"So, do you think they're talking about us?" Stella asked.

"Probably considering which animal to feed us to," Musa commented, still rubbing the sore spot on her head. "Probably how they deal with unwanted passengers".

As the group kept an eye on things, Aisha noticed something rustling in the bushes. Her improved senses told her it was a large animal of a sort, but not one she was familiar with. She stepped a bit closer and watched as the creature became visible. It looked like a large bug, roughly the size of a small car. Its shell was a bright red with black dots, making it stand out against the green environment.

"You look cute," Aisha gently said as she went down on a knee. She slowly reached out towards the oversized beetle with a: "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you".

The insect clicked its mandibles a couple of times, before suddenly lunging. Aisha's eyes went wide as the creature sailed towards her, the sharp mouthparts slicing through the plants. Only the vine that suddenly wrapped around her stomach and pulled her back prevented her from also being cut down to size. She landed roughly, but was pulled up by Flora who sharply ordered her to: "GET IN THE VEHICLE!" As the princess of Tides stumbled towards the armoured transport, which the other faeries where already streaming into, she noticed several other of the large bugs marching out of the thickets, many of them the size of tanks.

As she jumped in, Rebecca yelled: "HOLD ON, EVERONE!"

Flora forcefully shut the door behind her, just as the vehicle accelerated down the road. Behind them, the bugs gave chase but quickly fell behind.

"Rule. Number. One," Flora sharply said as she turned towards the others, obviously fighting to keep her temper under control. "Do not. Touch. ANYTHING! Do not talk to anything, sniff to anything or try to eat anything. Is that clear?"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it," Stella said, hands held up in a defensive gesture. "But, like, what where those things?"

"They kinda reminded me of really large ladybugs," Bloom commented.

"Polkanauts. Ferocious armoured predators," the female mechanic, Molly, explained.

"And that would be why they are so brightly coloured," Flora explained. "They have shells like iron. Not much is going to get to them. So that is rule number two. Be extremely wary of anything that does not bother hiding itself". She sighed. "Turns out that all of them had not left the area. No going back now, so I guess you are coming with us. But no fooling around. Half a second later and I would have had to pull Aisha back in two halves. And we barely have the supplies to fix a lost limb, let alone a bisection". She rubbed her eyes. "Just... Just sit down and do as I say. Then we will hopefully get this over with without any more problems".

"We'll be good," Bloom said gently as the girls sat down. "Just take a deep breath, Flora. We just want to help".

The brunette didn't respond and instead just sighed heavily as she sunk into a chair.

"So... I take it this happens often," Rebecca stated.  
"Do not even get me started," Flora groaned annoyed.

...

The rest of the trip went in silence. Flora fumed in in her seat and nobody felt that prodding her was a good idea. So everybody just clammed up and watched the wilderness go by. Finally, the vehicle came to a stop and Rebecca informed them that: "We have arrived. Everybody out".

As they stepped out, the faeries could not help but be awed by the sight. In front of them stretched a large canyon wall, at the foot of which lay a lake fed by a nearby river. Its water constantly churned and bubbled as it defied gravity and streamed up the rocks to a cavern above, from which a constant stream of clouds flowed out.

"All black willows have a sort of permanent magical effect near them, as well as assorted random minor ones that come and go," Flora explained as Thomas gave her a cup of water. "The problem with black willows is that due to the random magical phenomena that surround them, they cannot really be farmed".

"Why would that be an issue?" Aisha inquired.

"Because we would have to reserve an impractically large area for every tree just to ensure that they do not accidentally hurt somebody," Miele said as she walked up to them with a package in hand. "Hey, sis".

There was a loud crunch as the cup in Flora's hand was pulverised.

Thomas starred at the orange-haired girl, before asking: "So, you are the last darn extra, right? No one else snuck onboard?"

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" Flora asked as she turned towards her younger sister.

"Giving you your present. You are welcome, by the way," Miele said as she gave her sibling the package.

Flora stared at it, her expression softening a bit. "I do appreciate it, Miele and I am really happy," she said as she began unpacking. "But coming out here was a foolish risk on your part".

"Hey, I went through basic training, so I can come if I go with somebody who is properly trained. Like you," Miele pointed out.

"I do not have the licence for being a guide," the Limphean noble replied. "I went to Alfea instead. I will not be a qualified guide or escort for years". She looked at the others team members. "And I do not think any of you qualify either".

"Nope. Escorting is really not part of our job," Molly replied.

"So with that in mind, why did you think this was a good idea?" Flora asked.

"You know, a license is great and all, but it is really just an official declaration that one can be trusted," Miele said. "I do not need that. I trust that you know what you are doing".

"Ya know, she's kinda got a point," Techna commented.

"That is not how it works," Flora groaned. "But if you just wanted to get me the gift, you could have just given it to me while we waited for the second check-up".

"Hey, you only ended up waiting because I tricked your friends into getting in on the mission themselves," Miele pointed out, hands on her hips. "If I had just approached you during the delay, you would have said this was more pressing business. Despite that, if I had revealed myself halfway through the trip here, you would have insisted that we turned around, messing all this up".

Flora looked like she wanted to verbally defend herself, but then she suddenly just clammed up with a weird expression.

"I think that was what they call a gotcha moment," Bloom commented.

"Alright, I cannot honestly claim that would not be how it would have happened," the Limphean brunette admitted as she finished opening the package. She looked inside with a curious look, before pulling out a machete. She gave it a few practice swings. "This is a good tool," she said as she tested it a bit. "Good balance, fits well in the hand. Did you make it yourself?"

"And enchanted it too," Miele said proudly. "It never dulls or rusts".

"One mighty fine knife," Thomas said approvingly.

"I am very happy for this gift, Miele. Thank you," Flora said as she pulled out the weapon's scabbard and secured it. "However, that does not mean I think you should have come out here. You are well aware I will tell Mom and Dad about this?"

"Eh, I will manage," the orange-haired girl said with a shrug.

"While this has been a touching moment, we really need to get going. We have to set up the equipment," Rebecca said as she and the two mechanics began unloading the vessel.

The group journeyed up a rocky road on the side of the cliff, which zigzagged back and forth across the ascend.

"My feet hurt," Aisha groaned as they continued their walk.

"Well, that is a part of adventuring," Flora commented, with just a hint of testiness.

"Sure. But if this place is visited every so often, why not just install an elevator?" Aisha asked.

"Trust me. Would not last out here without daily maintenance," Molly said. "And even then... Well, shit happens".

At last, they finally reached the top cavern. Inside stood a great tree, its bark black and branches bare, looking very much like the victim of a forest fire. From cracks in its bark seeped a shimmering liquid, which mixed with the bubbling water below, from which clouds constantly rose. It made the cave seem rather steamy. The rocks that made up the cave's walls were weird. Many of them had odd colours and shapes, with some glowing and others producing faint sounds. Across the incoming water stretched an old, vine-encrusted wooden bridge.

"There it is. Don't fall into the water," Rebecca warned them. "There's no telling what the enchanted waters will do to you".

The team began setting up the machines, which were designed to suck in and filter the magical liquid from the water.

"This here is a magical charge measurer," Thomas instructed them as he set up a separate device. "If it starts beeping, run. It means the willow is charging up and will create a random magical effect somewhere in the cave, or maybe even farther away. And you do not want to stand in the way when that happens".

"Is it okay if we just suck it all up and give you your part when we get back to Arboreas?" Molly asked Flora.

"Yes. That does seem like it would make the most sense," Flora agreed.

The two mechanics placed the hose in the water and prepared to activate the machinery, when somebody suddenly yelled: "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

The girls turned around. "Figures," Musa groaned.

Standing in the cave mouth were Icy, Darcy and Stormy, flanked by a considerable amount of storm imps.

"So you were the ones who sent those things after us," Bloom said. "What do you want?"

"I want to ensure that you stay out of our way," Icy said as she twirled her staff. "PERMANENTLY!" The imps suddenly rushed forward, lightning dancing across their skin.

Bloom swung her hands forward, a wave of flames rushing forth from them. Two of the imps got caught and roasted by the inferno, but the rest flew up below the cavern roof, from where they began unleashing their lightning. The blasts were rather imprecise, but hit with enough force to shatter rock.

Musa yelped as she jumped out of the way, barely balancing on a rock poking out of the churning waters. With two more jumps, she landed on the other side and turned, blasting a wave of sound. The shockwave hit the ceiling, loosening a number of big rocks, which smashed several of the imps against the floor.

As this all went on, Techna tried to sneak around a big rock, hoping to catch the witches from the side. However, as she did so, she ran into Stormy who was threateningly tapping her mace against the palm of her hand.

"Oh. Hi," the scarred girl said as she recognised the witch. When Stormy raised her weapon to attack, Techna hurriedly said: "Wait, wait, wait. I don't have my pipe. You broke my last one".

"Oh," Stormy said somewhat surprised. "So you're defenceless?"

"Of course not," the magenta-haired girl replied while shaking her head, before suddenly lashing out with her foot and kicking her opponent in the crotch. The wild-haired witch struggled to stand, a surge of pain hitting her like a hammer, her knees buckling and her grip on her weapon loosening. Seeing her opponent's focus was off, Techna pulled her fist back and decked Stormy across the face, knocking her to the cavern floor.

Stella blasted another imp out of the air with a laser, only for her to suddenly have to dodge as Icy advanced on her, the staff transformed into a halberd. The white-haired witch swung again, forcing the royal back with every vicious swing. The Solarian blonde stumbled as she almost tripped and Icy lounged with a vicious stab. Stella tried to dodge to the side, but the frosty blade sliced through her side, opening a deep wound. The blonde gasped in pain and unleashed a blast of light. Icy shut her eyes tightly to avoid being blinded, opening them to see that the bleeding blonde was retreating. The halberd shifted into a spear and the white-haired witch gave chase.

Rebecca popped out from her cover behind the machine, the revolver in her hands going off with a loud bang. An imp's head exploded and the creature fell to the floor before dissolving. As she popped back into cover, she noticed Aisha had also ducked down besides her.

"What would happen if I were to use the enchanted water against them?" the brunette asked.

"I do not know. It might help, might not help, might blow us all up. That stuff is unpredictable," Rebecca said. "Molly, do you have some spare bullets? I'm running out".

"Well, I better stick to regular water then," Aisha said as she magically drew some from her bottle.

Bloom ducked as a black fireball exploded against the cavern wall, sending small smoking pieces of rock flying in all directions. She looked up to see Darcy menacingly approach, daggers ready. Summoning some of her dragonflame, she roared and unleashed an incinerating wave towards the dirty-blonde. Darcy reacted quickly and shifted into a shadow, seeping up the cavern walls. Observing that the redhead's flames kept burning, she elected to find a new target for now. As she crossed to the other side of the cave, she noted two things. Firstly, their horde of imps were barely a fraction of what they had originally summoned, a fraction that was close to being completely eradicated. Secondly, Stormy was painfully struggling to get up from the cave floor. She manifested not far from her, asking: "What happened?"

"The bitch kicked me in the crotch," Stormy said, occasionally gasping in pain. "That... Fucking hurt".

"Well, it is a sensitive area," Darcy noted.

"Not. Helping," Stormy hissed.

Stella gasped as she dropped to the ground, clutching her wound. She took a deep

breath as she tried to focus. Though not a medical expert, the wound felt worse than it looked. She took another deep breath and tried to get up when a foot smashed against her side and kicked her down. She gasped again as she saw Icy standing over her, ready to impale her. A vine suddenly grasped the white-haired witch's stomach and pulled her back with a yelp.

"How bad is it?" Flora asked as she rushed to her friend's aid.

"I'm, like, kinda bleeding all over the place," Stella said. "That's totally an issue right now".

Behind them, Icy lashed out with her weapon, cutting herself free from the plant. Landing on her feet, she immediately conjured a lance of ice, preparing to impale the distracted brunette. Her aim was thrown off by a large rock smashing against the side of her face.

"Take that you bitch," Miele called as she readied another rock. "You do not hurt my..." The rest of her taunt vanished as Icy immediately turned towards her and hurled the lance. The orange-haired girl tried to dodge, but the lance caught her in the arm. With a scream she lost her balance and fell into the churning waters.

"What... What the fuck was that for?!" Stormy called in shock.

Icy grunted uncaringly in response and turned towards her original target. A blur, instinct and the training she had received from Darcy was all that saved her life. Icy held up the staff, a machete smashing against it, the blade scraping against the side of her head and drawing blood. Instantly, Flora drew the blade back and lashed out against Icy's now vulnerable stomach. The witch barely managed to pull back, the tip of the weapon caving a fine red line across her skin. The brunette attacked again, constantly shifting her focus to wherever Icy was not defending, all the while emitting a roar more fitting for a rampaging behemoth than anything else. Icy had no choice but to focus exclusively on blocking, as the Limphean noble's attack came too fast and too precisely to give her time to focus.

In the background, Aisha starred as Flora did her best impression of a berserker lawnmower while trying to reduce Icy to a pile of chopped flesh.

"Aisha. Flora wants you to get Miele out of the water NOW!" Stella said as she stumbled over to them.

"Right, right," the princess of Tides said as she sprang into action. She used her new ability to sense to feel where Miele was slowly sinking, before shaping the water and forcing the girl out. She couldn't help but wince, fearing what the enchanted waters would have done to the girl. However, as Miele was pushed out, she turned out to look completely normal.

She coughed, spewing water from her mouth. "I'm.. So glad... I wore this... Today..." she wheezed, grabbing her amulet.

At the other end of the cave, Stormy and Darcy leapt onto the bridge as Icy was pushed in their direction. The white-haired witch had received several slices and cuts, blood dripping from the numerous times Flora had almost eviscerated her.

"YOU JUST HAD TO PISS HER OFF, DIDN'T YOU!?" Stormy yelled at Icy, as she was forced onto the bridge. Flora suddenly stopped advancing, allowing her opponent to take a few steps back.

Seeing a chance, Icy shifted her staff into a warhammer and got ready to smash her.

Flora just glared, before tightening her hand.

Simultaneously, every single plant on the bridge tightened their grip around the old wood.

The structure came apart with a loud crash and the witches screamed as they were dumped into the waters below.

The battle won, Flora hurried back to the others, desperately asking: "How is she?"

"Her arm is wounded and the bone within fractured. But that we can handle with our own medical supplies," Molly confirmed.

With a relieved expression, Flora enveloped her sister in a big hug. "Thank you so much, Aisha," the brunette said gratefully, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Happy to help," the princess of Tides replied.

"Sis, you can let go now. I am perfectly okay," Miele said, patting her sibling on her shoulder.

"So... What about those three?" Bloom asked, staring at the water.  
"Do we care?" Musa asked.  
"Well, I mean, what if they come out of it with superpowers?" Techna asked. Everyone stared at her. "What? It could happen".

"With our luck? Yeah, I could see that," Musa commented. "Hey, wait, is that them?"

On the other side of the cave, three small forms crawled out the water, their clothes enveloping their bodies and almost dragging them back down. As they gasped, the faeries could see that indeed it was the Usurpers. Except they all seemed to have lost at least a decade.  
"You... And... Your... Fucking... Bloodlust," the little girl version of Stormy gasped angrily. "People say... That I have a temper... I ain't... Got shit... On you..."

"Shut... Up..." Icy hissed back.

They suddenly noticed the flock of rather angry faeries staring at them.

"One wrong move and I'll..." Isabella said as she jumped up, before manifesting an ice cube in her hand. "I'll... I'll..."  
"Freshen up our drinks. How thoughtful of you," Techna commented.

"Isabella, we're kids. That also means having a kid's reserve of magical energy," Darcy pointed out.  
"So, do we haul them back to the authorities for another stay at Omega or do we just save ourselves the trouble and feed them to the local wildlife?" Musa asked.

"We will let the proper authorities handle this one," Flora said. "Though I will advocate that they keep them in this form for security purposes".

"You're just being vindictive, aren't you?" Bloom asked.

"One can be both vindictive and reasonable," the brunette responded, dodging the question.

"This sucks," Stormy groaned.

Suddenly, the air wavered and a portal opened not far from the group. Through it stepped a rather annoyed Valtor. His clothes were frayed, burnt and in some places melted. Bloom had the feeling that his knack were only reason the guy didn't look like ground beef.

"So... Did any of you ever consider _closing_ that portal after you?" he asked as he looked around, before suddenly noticing the three witches. He sighed, before saying: "Well, this just isn't my day. First Cloud Tower gets invaded by half a dozen wild animals, then I have to clean out a parasitic fungus infestation, then a bugblatter beast ruins my clothes and now I finally track you down, only for you to be kids". He sighed. "I mean, really, kids? That's going to take a while to fix. And I'll have you know I had to regrow my right arm thrice today. _Thrice_. I cannot remember the last time I had to regrow a limb three times". He suddenly noted the faeries and greeted them with a: "Oh, hello there. Didn't see you. How are things?"

"Icy tried to kill my sister," Flora said unamused.

"Oh. Well, that is rather awful," Valtor said. "Icy, Icy, Icy. Your enthusiasm is to be respected, but you should really temper it with some common sense. Anyway, I'll be taking these back home if you do not mind". He paused. "Or if you do mind. Really makes no difference".

"So you didn't send them?" Techna asked. "Well, that's rather surprising".

"Please, I do have other things to worry about than you lot. You're not that important," the dandy magi said while adjusting his hair. "The question is, can I take them or do we have to fight first?"

The faeries exchanged glances.

"Let's be smart for once," Stella sighed. "It's not like fighting him has ever gone well".

"I kinda like being able to see again," Aisha muttered.

"Yeah, it's simply not worth it," Bloom agreed.

"It seems there are no protests. We will not stand in your way," Flora stated.  
"Excellent. Something going right for once today," Valtor said as he stepped aside, allowing the three kids to waddle into the portal, their now oversized clothes hampering them considerably. "Now off we go. I have to figure out what kindergartens I can send you to. Too busy to look after you myself these days".

"You're not funny," Icy grumbled as she stumbled in.

Valtor followed them through the portal, which shut after them.

"Well. Shall we get the liquid extracted then?" Flora asked as she turned to the others.

...

"I do hope all of this doesn't end up making ye afraid of stepping outside yer door," Wizgiz said as the group walked through the forest, the girls having just finished telling him what had happened on Limphea. "Though I am impressed that yer sister made an amulet that protected her from the effects of the enchanted waters".

"She does have a knack for it. Literally," Flora said. "So, here we are". They stood for a moment and looked at the tree that was Faragonda.

"Now, here's the plan, lassie," Wizgiz started. "I'll carefully expose the roots to the tears. While I do that, ye try to contact Faragonda's mind".

"I will do my best," the Limphean noble said as she stepped up to the tree and placed a hand on it. The leprechaun crouched and slowly began dripping the shimmering liquid out of its bottle.

As the tree began absorbing it, Flora could feel it surge with power. She concentrated, constantly trying to find something in the energy.

Suddenly, a faint voice within the tree said: "Flo... Flora? Is that you?"

"Yes. Faragonda, is that you?" Flora thought, sending her message into the tree.

"Indeed. Valtor got the drop on me. He has gained considerable control over the art of illusions," Faragonda replied. "An ability he did not previously possess. I am transformed, am I not?"

"Into a tree, yes," the brunette thought back.  
"Huh. Well, it is a new experience. Though I do look forward to being me again," the headmistress noted.

"Wizgiz will be helping you with that. I will tell him that you are awake again," Flora thought, before breaking contact. With a relieved expression, she turned to the others and said: "It worked".

Her friends cheered while Wizgiz breathed a sigh of relief before saying: "Well, that's a load off me mind".

"Awesome. We'll get her back out in..." Techna began, before asking: "Hey, what's up, Aisha?"

"I just... Felt like I was being watched again," the brunette said, scouting into the woods. "I mean, it might just be other students out for a walk. Or nothing. But with everything that has happened..."

"Nothing wrong with a little bit of healthy paranoia," the scarred girl assured her. "But ain't much we can do about it now. How about we celebrate this with a beer. Don't worry, it's on me".

"A... What?" Aisha asked confused.

Techna starred at her as if the brunette has suddenly turned into a rabbit and proclaimed her rule of the house of flatcakes.

Inside the forest, a person popped out from hiding and raised his binoculars. "So, I've finally found you, Aisha," he mumbled as he adjusted the equipment.


	13. The Sacrifice

Chapter 13: The Sacrifice

Night had fallen over Alfea. Darkness covered the woods, their trees now bare, stripped by the onset of winter. Chilling winds swept across the realm and many were sure that the first snow would soon fall.

In her office, Faragonda stood and observed the darkened country through the great window. During the last month, she had slowly been returned to her former self. Ophelia had advised that she should take a vacation after her ordeal, but the headmistress had refused, insisting that she return to her duties as soon as possible.

The halls of her school were a lot emptier these days. The fear that Valtor would attack again, spurred on by Radius' and Sky's claims that Faragonda's presence made the place a target, had caused many parents to recall their children and even more to seriously consider doing so. There was even talk of removing Faragonda from her position. All of this placed quite a burden on the old fairy's weary shoulders.

A burden that had only become heavier. Earlier that evening, Saladin had contacted her, delivering horrible news. News that the headmistress now had to pass on.

The moment she heard the knocking on her door, she said: "Come in." She turned and greeted her guest.

"So, what did you want to tell me this late?" Aisha asked, clad in silky robes and with small bags under her eyes.

The headmistress tilted her head slightly, noting the other shapes just outside the door. "The rest of you can come in too," she stated. "I'd rather tell you directly so I make sure you all know what is happening."

"Sorry," Bloom said as she and the other four walked in. "But it just seemed weird, what with DuFour coming by this late. So we... Well..."

"We were worried," Flora interrupted. "Mostly because of everything that has been happening lately".

"Understandable," Faragonda said as she sat down in her chair. "Very well then. A couple of hours ago, Saladin contacted me. There is a crisis on Andros."

"Is it Valtor again?" Stella asked.

"Not directly, no. Though he is responsible for it," the headmistress elaborated. "When the portal to Omega was first constructed, many people, especially the Androsians, were concerned with the possibility of a prison break. After all, the criminals sent to that frozen realm also included dangerous and competent magi, artificers and worse. People who could hypothetically unlock the gate".

"As when Fancypants made a run for it," Techna noted.

"Indeed. The magic password system was designed to prevent anybody but the guards from opening it," Faragonda continued. "But if those guards were incapacitated before they could close the portal, criminals could escape. So a failsafe was invented. If the portal was open for too long, it would gather a powerful charge of magic, force itself shut and seal itself, preventing even the guards from opening it. Only a password guarded by the portal's architects would be able to open it again." She sighed. "But Valtor broke it. He undid much of the spellwork that controlled the portal, ripping it apart to force it open. And this has become a serious problem. The portal is no longer able to close itself."

"Well, couldn't somebody, like, close it then?" Stella asked. "Like those architects you mentioned?"

"It is not that simple," the headmistress of Alfea continued. "Between Valtor, his controlled merfolk and the capture of some other prisoners that managed to escape, nobody had time to do anything about the portal. Nobody even thought of checking on it, since Valtor made his lair on the island and was only recently confirmed to have moved to Cloud Tower. As a result, the portal has kept gathering magic in an attempt to seal itself. Over the last half year, it has kept gathering more and more magical energy, without being able to properly channel it. At this point, the frameworks of the enchantments is close to collapsing. If the portal does break, it will release all the pent up magic in a single explosion."  
Shocked silence filled the room.

"If that does happen, it would be a disaster for Andros," Faragonda continued gravely. "Nearby realms like Jezero would be devastated. Tidal waves produced by such a calamity could easily wipe out entire coastal nations. And that is why I contacted you, Aisha. Tides is in danger of being wiped off the map. And if only _this_ utter disaster happens, it will be the best case scenario. The magical energy could cause powerful but utterly random magical phenomena all over the planet. This could devastate the weather, the ecosystem, everything. And to make matters worse, the same is happening on Omega".

"Well, that ain't so bad. I mean, there's nobody but criminals there, right?" Musa asked.

"That is not the problem. The problem is the way the portal has been sucking in magical energy," Faragonda explained. "Nearby enchantments and artefacts have been completely drained by it. As a result, the stasis pods that usually contain these people have been failing en masse. And the portal is not hard to see, being overcharged with magical energy and causing hundreds of minor magical phenomena every single minute it remains open. So now, hundreds of criminals are making a bid for freedom, making any attempt at closing the portal even harder. The area around it has been utterly consumed by battle".

"That's... That's horrible," Aisha said shocked. "We... We have to do something".

"Everything possible is being done to get to the portal before it explodes, though I cannot give you any specifics," Faragonda said apologetically.

"It's okay. But I have to get to Tides," the princess insisted. "My people need me now more than ever".

"If you're heading into a disaster, we'll come with you," Techna said, placing a hand on Aisha's shoulder. "It's tradition".

"Sad thing is, yeah, it is pretty much tradition by now," Musa commented. "Throwing ourselves in harm's way".

"At this point, there is not much you can do but help with the evacuation efforts," Faragonda insisted.

"Even so, I have to help my people," Aisha insisted. "I will be able to secure myself transport to Tides, being a royal. No doubt I can bring the others with me too".

"But there is no telling when it will detonate. If you are in Tides when it happens, there's no guarantee that you will be able to get out".

"The same goes for, like, all the people there right now," Stella argued. "So that's even more reason to go help them".  
Faragonda was silent for a moment, before saying: "I can see you have made up your minds. Very well, I cannot stop you, as you are all adults by now. I wish you the best of luck and I will pray for your safe return".

...

The trip to Andros had been hectic, but surprisingly smooth. On their way to the spaceport, Aisha had contacted the relevant people and ordered them to get her home immediately. Once they had confirmed her identity, they more or less rolled out the red carpet and let the six on the best vessel they had without questions. Not that the girls had any time to enjoy the luxurious vessel as it arrived on Andros about an hour later to a most peculiar and frightening sight. In the distance, a great light shined, bright enough to compete with the sun. Clouds of all sorts filled the sky, each unleashing different content on the things below. While hail, lightning, rain and snow were all to be expected, even though it wasn't usually simultaneously, other clouds released less common payloads, including fish, insects and fire.

As they reached the island nation of Tides itself, they could see the effects the looming disaster had on the kingdom. Vessels flew back and forth, the streets were choked with people and squads of soldiers fought to keep the situation orderly in the face of a slowly increasing level of panic. Medics, police and firefighters were hurrying to the places where the mounting chaos had caused the most harm, putting out fires, stopping looters and healing the wounded.

Aisha shuddered as they flew across her kingdom.

"Hey, it's going to be alright," Bloom tried comfortingly. "We'll give a helping hand."  
"Thanks, Bloom. But even if we manage to get everyone out, Tides as we know it will be finished if the portal detonates," the princess responded.

Bloom paused a bit, before saying: "Well, as long as your people live, Tides will survive. I mean, Domino did."

Aisha was silent for a moment, before gratefully saying: "I suppose you do have a point there. Thank you, Bloom."

The vessel touched down on the royal landing strip and the girls hurried out. A bitterly cold wind danced across the nation, chilling them to the bone.

"Isn't it, like, supposed to be summer here?" Stella asked, vigorously rubbing her goosebumps covered arms.

"It is. The portal must be dramatically affecting the local weather," Flora stated.  
"As if the freaky clouds weren't an obvious indicator of that," Musa commented

As they went inside the castle, they quickly noted that the chaos that affected the nation had also hit the castle hard. Servants and soldiers hurried through the halls, bringing messages, supplies and whatnot. The girls found themselves barely able to navigate the mess, closely following Aisha to avoid getting lost in the busy crowds. They made their way to a large room where a regal looking woman was busy receiving messages and giving out orders.

"Mother," Aisha called out as she entered.  
"Aisha?" her mother said quite surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Everyone, this is my mother, Queen Niobe Hadith," the princess of Tides said. "Mother, I heard what has happened to the Omega portal. My friends and I came to help".

"Oh no. Aisha, deary, you need to get out of here right now," her mother said concerned as she approached the group. "The portal might detonate any second".

"But..." the brunette tried.

"No buts, Aisha," her mother cut her off. "The best thing you can do for Tides is survive. Your father is coordinating the evacuation and I am busy trying to get everything important out of the castle. If the portal detonates before we get out, we might die. Tides needs its royals and if we die, that job will fall to you and your husband. You need to get out of here now."

"If I may ask, has there been any news about the portal?" Flora inquired.

"The wizard Taboc the Wise, one of the portal's architects, has been called in, but there's no telling if he will manage to close it in time," Niobe explained. "So therefore, you need to get out while there's still time."

"Alright mother," Aisha sighed. "I understand. Please be careful."

"I will," her mother said as she hugged her daughter. "Now go. Use one of the royal transports if necessary."

As the girls left the room, Techna asked. "So, what, we're just going back to Alfea?"

"Of course not," Aisha stated. "I'm going to find Roy. He can take me to the portal".

"Is that wise?" Musa asked. "I mean, at least here you have a chance of surviving if everything goes pear-shaped".

"This Taboc can apparently fix the portal, but if things are as bad as they say, he will need all the help he can get to reach the portal," the brunette explained. "I may not be the best fairy ever, but it is my duty to help my realm no matter what."

"Welp, sounds like a plan," Techna said. "I'll help."

"I would normally try to dissuade you all from such a dangerous course of action," Flora added. "But in this case, I would say that the danger is grave enough that I can justify putting myself at risk."

"I would never let you girls, like, go into something like this on your own," Stella said. "I'm helping."

"Me too. I would never be able to sit on the sidelines," Bloom stated.

"Another suicide mission. Why not, it's not like we haven't been on one of those before," Musa said with a shrug.

Determined, the girls hurried out of the castle, where Aisha secured them transport to the docks from a royal hovercar. Five minutes later, they were let out. The docks were very empty, especially considering how busy it had been during their last visit. Most of the boats were gone and only the occasional worker hurried through the streets. Aisha swiftly led them to the mooring where they found Roy busy cleaning the ship after an unexpected shower of shrimps.

"'Eyy, Princess Aisha," he greeted them. "How's it going. Things be getting crazy, ya".

"Indeed. Listen, Roy, I need you to take me to the Omega Portal," Aisha said as she and the girls jumped aboard. "And that's sooner rather than later".

"This again. Aisha, I almost lost my job, ya know," Roy said as he pushed a pile of crushed shellfish overboard. "Only reason I didn't was that you gave me an order, ya know. Still had to retake my license before I was allowed to be working again."

"I know. And I am sorry to put you in this position again," Aisha said apologetically before pleading: "But they need our help at the portal. It can go off at any second now. And if it does, Tides will be destroyed. Jezero and Phykos will be annihilated. All of Andros will be devastated. We cannot just sit by and let that happen. And if it helps, I'll take full responsibility for you taking me there."

Roy seemed to mull it over. "Well, 'spose such a blast would be bad for my job too, ya," he finally said. "Okay then, Aisha, let's go."

"Thank you, Roy," the princess of Tides said relieved as he hurried to the steering wheel. Seconds later, they were cutting through the waves, heading towards the Omega portal.

...

A boat cut through the unruly waters of Andros, sailing ever closer to the Omega portal. On the deck stood an elderly man, firm and determined in stature, eyeing the growing effects of the approaching disaster. Unruly skies rumbled above, clouds of all sorts clashing against each other. The man wore a long white and yellow garment, a symbol of his status as one of the great wizards of Andros. His long grey beard and hair was thick and gathered in great locks that its owner never seemed able to fully tame. His steel-grey eyes scouted the horizon and he drew a heavy breath. He was Taboc the Wise and before him lay one of his great creations, now on the verge of destroying all he cared for. It was a disheartening sight.

"Sir, shouldn't you get below deck?" a marine asked as she headed up on deck. "Captain fears that the literal firestorm to the east might turn this way".

"I need to see this with my own eyes," Taboc replied firmly. "I need to accept it. My creation has caused great suffering and will cause even more should we fail to contain it". He closed his eyes for a moment.

"Very well, if you say so, sir," the marine said with respect. She scouted the oceans, suddenly noticing something. "MERFOLK SIGNALING US, TWO'O'CLOCK!" she yelled to the first mate, who was steering the ship.

The ship slowed down, allowing the merfolk to safely approach.

"Is this the ship Golden Wave? Carrying Taboc the Wise?" one of the aquatic beings called.

"Yes. He's right here," the marine called as the wizard walked over to her side. "What do you want him for?"

"We were told to inform you of the situation," the merperson explained. "Things are pretty bad up ahead. Criminals and worse from Omega are running rampant. Both Phykos and Jezero have been sending reinforcements, with Prince Nereus himself leading the latter. But it hasn't been enough. They haven't been able to clear a path. It's too dangerous to sail in there."

"Being anywhere near the portal is dangerous," Taboc responded. "But I will not sit idly by while the portal tears my homeworld apart."

"We were told to expect you to say that," the merperson replied. "In that case, we are to escort you to the coast. You'll want to get in on the island from the east. The fighting seems to be less intense over there."

"Any word about who has escaped Omega?" the marine asked.

"A lot have yet to be identified. Borun the Butcher of Verise has been spotted, as well as Sera Veil and Mad Metal Madlock," the merperson said. "And those are just some of the more notable ones. Fortunately, they are neither organised nor allied and they are fighting each other as much as they are fighting us."

"Then we must capitalize on said confusion," Taboc insisted. "Let us get moving again. If we are lucky, we will be able to gently slide through the fighting."  
"I presume you can keep up with us?" the marine inquired from the squad of merpeople.

"Easily," came the response.

"Very well then. LET'S GET MOVING!" she yelled and the ship started sailing again towards the epicentre of the crisis.

...

"Hey, I heard noise from up here," Aisha stated as she walked up from the lower deck. "Did anything happen?"

Musa, who was busy wringing a foul-smelling, rust-coloured substance out of her clothes, sarcastically answered: "Noooo. Everything is just fine up here. It's not like the weather is going berserk or anything."

"'Ey, at least this be harmless weather," Roy said, his usually blond hair discoloured by the strange liquid.

"Yeugh. I'm tots happy that I managed to avoid that," Stella said, making a face as she and Techna came up on deck too.

"Aw, I missed it," the scarred girl moaned.

"If you stay up here, you will definitely get to experience more of it," Flora, who was busy helping a retching Bloom get cleaned, stated. "The weather has been rapidly changing for a while".

"We best be avoiding some of the harsher weather, ya," Roy stated. "Some of these clouds be holding fire or hail the size of my head."

"A clear indicator that the magic seeping from the portal is intensifying," Flora said. "At this rate, it will not be long before it will completely break apart."

"At least we won't have time to regret it," Musa said. "This close, we'll be gone in an instant."

"That's a creepy thought," Aisha said with a shiver.

"I hear ya," Techna agreed. "Like, one moment we're just chatting about our upcoming heroics, the next, we're just frickin' gone."

"Can we change the subject, please?" Bloom begged as Flora rinsed her hair. "I feel bad enough already."

"Roy, how close are we to the portal?" Aisha asked as she stepped up to the steering wheel.

"Five minutes tops," Roy responded.

In the distance lay the great island, one rocky edge of it visibly glowing with charged magical power. The clouds above circled around it like water in a drain and powerful winds blew across the waters, changing direction every few seconds. Several ships had been anchored by the beaches of the rocky island and even at a distance the fairies could hear the violent sounds of battles.

"We're heading straight into a grade A shitstorm," Techna mumbled. "So, do we have a plan or are we just winging it?"

"We should probably attempt to join up with whomever is already on the island trying to assert order," Flora suggested.

"Yes. I can just see it now," Musa said jokingly. "Of course a troop of experienced soldiers will be perfectly willing to accept assistance from six fairies in training."

"Maybe they'll be more inclined to accept help from the princess of Tides and her five personal assistants," Aisha stated.

"Huh. That could actually work," the black-haired musician admitted.

The boat's anchor loosened and dropped into the water.

"Alright, not sailing any closer. Want to be able to get home too, ya," Roy stated as he turned off the engine. "A short swim, but no problem."

"I'll take the reeking of seawater over... Whatever it was that I was splashed with," Bloom said as she jumped overboard, soon followed by the other faries.  
"Roy, stay and guard the boat. If trouble comes your way, sail farther away until we are back again," Aisha ordered as she shaped the waters to help the six reach the beach.

The blond sighed and commented to himself: "I always seem to be left behind, ya".

On the beach, Aisha removed the water that had soaked the faeries' clothes, removing the last of the foul gunk in the process.

"So, like, where do we go now?" Stella said as she looked around. One side of the island was mostly composed of a large rocky protrusion that led to the portal and the rest was covered in dense woodland.

"Normally, I'd say follow the sounds," Musa added. "But it sounds like there's trouble everywhere".

"We should attempt to get an overview of the situation," Flora said. "And to do that, we will need information from the people here. As we have no way to ascertain where they are, any direction will suffice".  
"So what you're saying is that we pick a random direction and then go until we find something?" Bloom asked for clarification.

"Indeed. Exploration at its simplest," the brunette said, before walking towards the woods.

With the other girls in tow she made her way inland, occasionally cutting blocking parts of the jungle flora with her new machete.

"Sure is handy," Techna commented.

"Indeed. What about you?" the Limphean noble inquired. "Have you had any luck replacing your weapon?"

"Eh, it just seems to me like a pipe is kinda fragile," the scarred girl said. "Ever since Darkar broke my trusty pipe I've been trying to replace it. But each and every one of them has gotten jacked up. So I've started to consider that maybe I need a more proper weapon. You know, like your machete for example."

"Technically speaking, it is a tool, not a weapon," Flora replied. "But I understand what you mean. Perhaps you should take some classes at Red Fountain. Could help you find out what you are comfortable with."

"There's an idea," the magenta-haired girl pondered.

"Quiet. I hear something," Musa quickly said.

The entire group went silent, straining to hear what the musician had heard. Through the din of faraway combat, they heard a strange sound very close to them. It was a grotesque and wet tearing sound, accompanied by gasping and gurgling.

And then a slightly distorted voice gently said: "Shhh, shhh. It's okay. Madlock will make you all better. You just need more of this and you'll be all better". The tearing sound intensified and the gurgling became high-pitched and pained.

Slowly, the girls got closer, trying to find out what the source of the noise was. The sight they found horrified them.

There was a small glade, the grass and flowers splattered with blood from three soldiers that had died there. A fourth soldier, barely alive, lay on the ground. Metal of all sorts and shapes had been jammed into his body, gruesomely tearing it apart.

Crouching by him was a leprechaun, smiling gently at him. His left arm and most of the left side of his body had been replaced with crudely formed metal and the skin around it looked gangrenous. The rest of his body didn't look any better, being riddled with obviously infected wounds and disgusting sores. His clothes were dirty and looked they had hadn't been washed in decades, covered in various splotches of fluids. He held up an iron spike and placed it above the soldier's chest. "It's okay. This will make you better," the deranged leprechaun said comfortingly. The soldier struggled, but the metal lodged trough his arms and legs prevented him from doing anything.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Aisha yelled as she jumped out of hiding, quickly followed by the others. "OR I WILL..."

With a shunk, the metal spike penetrated the soldier. He gasped in pain as his heart was penetrated and blood began filling his lung. As the soldier painfully died, the leprechaun slowly stood up and turned towards the girls, still wearing that unsettling smile. As he did so, further modifications could be seen. Plates and screws had been crudely fused to his throat, generating the odd metallic warping in Madlock's voice. His right eye had long since been replaced with a rusty screw, though it still occasionally turned, as if somehow still alive. "I'm helping him," he insisted gently, stepping over the corpse. "See. He's all better now. All that stress, pain and fear has been replaced with miraculous metal. He understands now".

"Don't... Don't come any closer," Stella warned him as the deranged criminal stalked closer.

"You're so tense. So scared," Madlock insisted as he walked closer. His left arm slowly shifted around, revealing a buzz saw that began whirring. "I'll replace it all with metal. You will be fine. You will see," he insisted, before suddenly lounging.

The whirring instrument clashed again the flat of Flora's blade. The brunette lashed out with a kick, but the insane leprechaun jumped back. His smile widened, revealing that several of his teeth had been replaced with shards of metal crudely stabbed into his deformed and infected gums.

He rushed at them again and Stella attempted to stop him with a blinding flare. Madlock just closed his one eye and jumped at the blonde, instrument of death ready. Musa grabbed her friend's shoulder and pulled her away forcefully, sending them both crashing into the undergrowth. Madlock landed roughly, before turning towards the faries again.

"You will be so pretty," he insisted. "All your flaws will be replaced with enduring, eternal metal".

"The guy's fucking insane," Techna said, threateningly holding a branch. "Step closer and I'll smash what's left of your brain out".

"You remind me of my wife. So angry and violent," Madlock said. "But she got better once I replaced that with metal". Then he leapt again. The buzz saw dug into the branch that the scarred girl defended herself with and began eating its way through it.

Taking the slight opportunity, Bloom sent a stream of fire at the occupied criminal. Madlock hissed as the fire washed over his skin and he tried to cover himself with his filthy coat.

Though she also felt the heat from her proximity to Bloom's fire, Techna grabbed the metal pieces that held the buzz saw, placed a foot on the middle of it and ripped at it while pushing down with her leg. With a sound of tearing metal the artificial arm came apart and Madlock stumbled back.

"How... How could you?" he asked in a wounded and hurt tone. "My good arm... How can you be so ungrateful?" His smile returned. "I must help you. I will replace your deficiencies with iron gratitude".

"I FOUND MADLOCK!" somebody yelled and the group looked to the side to see several soldiers forcing their way through the woods. "SOMEBODY SHOOT HIM!"

"My work must not be halted again," Madlock declared as he dashed into the undergrowth. There were several loud bangs as the soldiers tried to fire at him, but the creep had disappeared into the greenery.

"Dammit. At this rate we'll have to burn down the entire forest to get them," the commander of the squad, a dark-skinned and muscular elf, said. He suddenly noticed the girls, having previously been focused on Madlock, and asked: "So, who are you?"

"I am Princess Aisha Hadith of Tides," the brunette declared. "I and my five assistants have personally come here to assist with the closing of the Omega Portal due to the severe effect it will have on my country."

"Oh. I was unaware you would be coming," the man replied.  
"I was under the impression that reliable lines of communication had been ruined," Aisha responded. "And that there was no time to waste."

"True enough. Alright then, Princess, please follow us to the base," the guy said.

"Before that... There's... Well, I'm afraid Madlock... Kinda got his hands on some of your soldiers," Stella pointed out, trying to avoid looking at the madman's grotesque handiwork.

A shiver went through the commander as he saw the bodies. "Ate breakfast with them just this morning," he said. "Damn it all". He swallowed. "Alright, let's get them wrapped up and back to camp. They at least deserve that much".

...

The camp where the soldiers gathered lay by the beach, allowing both the land-living and water-dwelling troops to communicate.

"What is currently being done to stop the portal?" Aisha inquired as they entered.

"We ourselves do not have the means to do so," the commander, whose name was Felix, said. "However, Taboc the Wise has been contacted and last I heard, was making his way here. Until then, all we can do is try to contain the criminals who get through.

"And how has that been going?" Musa asked.

"Mixed results. Some of them surrender on sight, others try to escape," Felix explained. "Some fight back. It's a mixed lot. Thing is, many of them are dangerous, deranged and powerful. That is why they were sent to Omega after all".

"Is there anything you need assistance with?" Techna asked.

"Not at the moment. Hey, Johnson. Where's squad B and C?" the commander asked a female officer, who was currently checking a map of the isle.

"Bogged down with a battle on the western coast," she replied. "Some of the bastards have grouped together. It's making it hard taking them down".

"Dammit. Then we are undermanned," Felix grumbled. "Where are our reinforcements?"

"Got hit by a violent storm. Prince Nereus had to halt his offensive to send people to save them," the officer said. "What about squad F?"

"Dead," Felix sighed.

"Oh. That's... I am sorry to hear that," the officer said respectfully.

"MEDIC!" somebody yelled and everyone's attention shifted towards one side of the camp. A soldier was dragging a woman in a marine uniform through the fortifications. Her left arm had been torn off, leaving a grotesque wound.

Immediately, a leprechaun medic dashed over to her and began mending her wound. "Felix. She wants to speak with ye," she called.

Felix hurried over to the three and asked: "What happened?"

"I was... Part of... Taboc's escort," the woman reported, occasionally hissing in pain. "We made our way to the eastern coast, but were ambushed. We got split up". She gasped. "Taboc... Is the only... Only one who can stop... The portal."

"Then we must send reinforcement," the lieutenant insisted.

"But with both B and C gone, we can't leave the camp without risking the entire offensive breaking apart," Felix replied as he began thinking the situation through. "Especially if Nereus' offensive has been halted".

"But if we don't send anyone, we will all die," the lieutenant argued.

"I know. But if the whole thing breaks apart, well... It is the only thing that keeps this situation even remotely contained," the commander said as he scratched his head in frustration.

"If I may cut in," Flora said as she and the other faeries walked up to them. "Clearly, the best solution is to take both options. I suggest you let us go assist Taboc and then you can send additional reinforcements once it becomes feasible".

Felix looked questioningly at Aisha.

"I am willing to risk myself," she confirmed firmly. "I will do anything to protect Tides".

The commander nodded approvingly, saying: "Very well then. Best of luck to you. I wish I didn't have to but... Situation is out of control. Be careful. Enough good people have died on this forsaken piece of rock already".

"Don't worry. None of us are planning on dying today," Stella said as the six headed out.

...

"I've seen way too many dead bodies today," Musa remarked, her face ghostly white.

On the ground lay a marine, almost unrecognisable as a human due to the large chunks of flesh that had been torn off.

"Still warm. Death can not have occurred more than a couple of hours ago," Flora stated, a hand on the body's wrist. "I cannot be precise without a thermometer, but I think we are on the right track". She paused. "How are Bloom and Stella doing?"

"Aisha is helping them get cleaned up," Techna stated. "I don't blame them for losing their lunch. I still feel queasy and I've seen my fair share of splatter movies."

"Alright. We're ready to move out," Aisha said as she walked up to them, followed by a pair of very pale and sick looking faeries who did everything they could to not look at the body.

"Alright then. Let us move," Flora stated and they hurried along the beach.

Five minutes passed as the girls walked in silence, ever wary of the noises that surrounded them. Occasionally a ray of sunlight would pierce through the chaotic skies above, providing a brief moment of warmth before being blocked out again.

And then a roar cut through the air, echoing across the beach.

The faeries took a moment to look at each other, before breaking into a sprint. They rounded a rocky outcrop and came upon the scene of a battle. A massive ogre, easily three heads higher than Knut and thrice as broad, was savagely attacking a group of people. Blood caked his arms and teeth as he struck out with savage fury.

The group he attacked consisted of three people, an elf and two humans. One of the humans, a wizard dressed in white, raised a magical shield as the ogre attacked again, barely deflecting his blow.

As the barrier pushed the ogre's attack away, the two others immediately opened fire with their assault rifles, shooting dozens of bullets into the ogre's skin, not that he seemed to notice. He swung out with his arm and again the wizard attempted to block. But he was weak and the ogre smashed through the shield and sent the three flying with its swipe.

Seeing its prey temporarily stunned, the ogre stepped in to finish the job, when he suddenly heard a yell of: "BACK AWAY, NOW!"

The ogre grunted as he turned towards the six faeries as they approached. Then he roared and charged. Stella immediately let a blinding flare loose and the ogre roared as he lost his sight. He swung his massive arms around in a frenzy, attempting to hit the girls who had scattered to all sides.

Flora ducked under a swing and leapt forward, slashing a deep wound in the ogre's side with her machete. The colossal humanoid took no heed and smashed her with his elbow, knocking her back on the sand.

It reached towards her, only to stumble forward as an explosion went off on its back. It turned towards Techna, who was already preparing another grenade, roared and charged. Aisha called in water and swept the sand away on the brute's feet, causing him to fall. But even as it fell, the vicious being was still determined to get his pray and lashed out with a hand. Techna jumped back, but the ogre's claws tore through the cloth and skin of her lower left leg, tripping her with a pained gasp. The massive hand closed around her and the ogre began hauling her in with a hungry look, only to be hit if the side with a shining and searing beam.

Bloom and Stella had fused their spells and were now hitting the thing with as much power as they dared muster. The ogre, seeing the new challenge, began slowly stomping towards them, fighting its way through the spell even as it was being burned and boiled. Step by step it stomped closer, fuelled by a savage determination. The redhead and the blonde grimaced as the massive hulk got even closer. If they ceased casting the spell, the ogre would no doubt charge them, but they couldn't move while focusing on channelling such an amount of magical energy.

Seeing her friends' problem, Musa began firing a subtle pulse of sound, aiming to unbalance the ogre. The brute got more and more unsteady as he became dizzy, a problem only intensified by the glaring beam of sunlight that was slowly but surely scorching his face, ruining his eyes, nose and mouth.

Aisha began assisting, using water to wash away the sand under the ogre's feet. With a roar, it stumbled and fell to the ground. Finally, Bloom and Stella ceased their attack. The smell of cooked flesh filled the air. The upper body of the ogre had been severely incenerated and scorched, most of it blackened to the point of looking like burnt wood.

And then the ogre began pushing himself up again, the burnt skin already falling off to reveal newly regenerated flesh. His eyes, which had melted in their sockets, slowly grew back and turned towards the faeries, hunger and bloodlust filling them.

Immediately the two marines dashed up on either side of the ogre, pointed their guns and began firing. Bullet after bullet tore through the ogres head, shattering its skull and reducing its brain to liquid.

Bloom starred for a moment, before staggering over to a bush, her stomach cramping to eject what little was left in it.

"Wasn't that... A tad bit excessive?" Techna asked, eyes wide and her face a notable degree paler.

"No. He's already regenerating," the wizard noted as he eyed the ogre. Indeed, new bone and flesh was slowly growing from the shattered head. "He's a mutant ogre. Despite that, he used to be a normal if excessively big and hungry ogre. But he got his head crushed in an avalanche and he regenerated into this. I doubt anything but burning him to ashes or starving him for months will truly kill him". He turned towards the girls. "I must also thank you. Your assistance was much needed and is much appreciated. I have little training in combat magic and we were split from the others when he started hunting us".

"Great. Shall we get moving before he wakes up again?" Musa asked, eyeing the still ogre with worry.

"That is probably the only thing we can do," the wizard noted. "I will attempt to call for people to detain him before he regains consciousness, but I fear under current circumstances such a message will reach no one". He paused for a moment. "I am Taboc the Wise, sent here to deal with the portal. And you are?"

"Ai-Aisha Hadith, princess of Tides," the brunette said, looking away from the mangled ogre. "I arrived here with my friends to assist in the closing of the portal".

"Hmm, that assistance will probably be necessary. Follow me," Taboc said and the group began trekking inland. "I must reach the portal as soon as possible. The damage it causes grows every second. So I do not have the time to find the rest of my escort".

"A good thing we found you then," Flora noted. She looked over the shoulder at her friends and asked: "Are you two going to be okay?"

"My stomach's cramping," Bloom murmured.

"I'll, like, need a trip to the counsellor when we get back to Alfea," Stella commented, rubbing her eyes. "I hate stuff like this. It's like the invasion of Alfea all over again".

"It is indeed sad that we must suffer so," Taboc noted. "But our sacrifices will spare many more people. It is such thoughts that help me go on".

"Right. But there's one thing I want to know," Musa said, as the path they walked began to ascend. "Do you think Valtor intentionally broke the portal like this?"

"Hard to say. It is indeed a possibility," the wizard replied. "But it might also have been by accident. I would have had to identify the damage soon after he made it to make an educated guess, but by now the portal will be too ruined to tell. I know little of him, so I cannot guess based on his personality".

"Well, he does not seem like one to cause undue suffering," Aisha noted.

"Didn't he blind you for a couple of months?" Musa asked. "After turning Stella into a mutant frog?"

"Well, yes," the princess of Tides replied. "But what I mean is that those things were all done to accomplish a goal. I see nothing for him to accomplish in devastating Andros".

"It doesn't matter," Bloom sighed. "Either way, we have to do something about the portal. What's the plan for that?"

"I have an artefact in my possession that can drain the portal of magic and strip it of enchantments," Taboc explained. "By absorbing the power that maintains its internal integrity I will cause the portal to collapse in on itself, funnelling the excess magic into its own rift".

"Are there any negative repercussions to such an action?" Flora inquired.

"Not if we are fortunate. Even if we are not, the amount of magic released in the explosion will be severely minimized," Taboc replied. "I should think that only this island will be devastated".

"At least we'll get to see the fireworks up close," Techna noted.  
"Yes. Nanoseconds before we're erased from existence," Musa commented.

"So why didn't anybody go check on this thing if it's so dangerous?" Bloom asked.

"I don't think anybody knew it was broken," Taboc replied. "If we had, fixing the damage would have been prioritized over Valtor. As for how people thought Valtor got through without breaking the portal, I cannot say. I was only recently involved".

The narrow path began going higher and higher into the rocky area.

"How did the merpeople ever guard this thing?" Stella questioned as they walked up the path. "I mean, like, it's totally not a mountain, but still, kinda far above sea level".

"The rampant magical energies have also affected the earth beneath the portal," Taboc explained. "It has caused several local earthquakes and forced the stones to rise. Thus the sudden elevation".

"You have a good brain," a slightly feminine voice hissed and the group stopped. "I want it". On a rock above them stood a weird creature that might possibly once upon a time have been a human or an elf. Its skin had turned into a mess of uneven and discoloured scales, one arm shaped into a mix between a snake and a lamprey, and a face that seemed to be a blend of several predators. With a hiss, the creature attacked.

The two marines turned to shoot it, but the hybrid was on them before they got the chance to pull the triggers. It landed on one of them and pinned him to the ground before lashing out with its mutated arm, tearing open the other's throat. The marine gurgled as he dropped his weapon and stumbled over the side of the path. Immediately, the chimera then turned and lashed said arm towards the shocked Taboc, who barely managed to raise his shield in time.

Musa pushed around the wizard while drawing her fans and viciously kicked the mutated appendage away. Then she set off and closed the distance while the hybrid got ready to lash out with its arm again. The folded metal fan smacked against the mutant's chin and caused it to stumble off the marine.

"I will harvest your genes from your broken body," the creatures snarled angrily as it lashed out with its arm.

"Stella, try to shoot it. My flames aren't precise," Bloom said with a voice full of worry, as she tried to see the battle past her friends.

"My aim tots sucks. I risk blasting Musa," Stella replied worried.

"Of all the Omega criminals, why do we keep running into you nutjobs?" Musa asked as she dodged another swipe of the hybrid's clawed hand. "Why not a bureaucrat or a corrupt politician?"

"NUTJOB! My experiments would have advanced all species, yet small minded fools held back by outdated concept could not accept the necessary sacrifices," the creature ranted as it smashed its mutated arm into Musa and knocked her to the ground. "But from you visitors, I will build my new perfect species. I, the great visionary..."

Everything else the creature would have said disappeared in a pained scream as a blade pierced its torso. "You talk too much," Flora noted, before forcefully kicking the hybrid off her weapon. The mutant stumbled over the edge and tumbled howling and hissing down the cliff side.

"Well. That was cool," Techna noted. "Rather brutal, but cool".

"We best get moving," the brunette noted as she wiped the blood off her blade. "The longer we stay, the more attention we will gain from the criminals". She kneeled and helped the other marine back up.  
"Th-thank you," he said shocked. "I just... Bent never stood a chance".

"I'm sorry we couldn't do more," Musa said with a hint of sadness. "But that thing attacked us so suddenly".

"It's... It's okay. You did what you could," the soldier said, obviously shaken.

"I do not wish to be unfeeling, but we have to move on," Taboc insisted. "The portal is not far now. We must not lose our composure so close to our goal."

"Ri-right you are, sir," the marine said and the group started moving again.

Minutes later, they reached the summit and stopped. An immense orb of supercharged magic was gathered in middle of the crater. Circles of stone surrounded it, constantly cracking and mending as uncontrolled magic washed over them. Fierce winds blew around the crater, kicking up choking clouds of dust and rocks. The people could feel the intense energy in the air as a tingling sensation across their skin.

"That's one mighty light bulb," Techna noted as they slid down the side of the crater.

"It's almost too late," Taboc noted. "The portal won't be able to contain the magic within it for much longer". He withdrew a strange jade plate etched with symbols and crystals from his backpack and held it up as he marched towards the unstable portal. Its gemstones began shining and the entire thing vibrated as it began activating, tendrils of magic snaking out to tear apart the portal.

Suddenly, there was a flash as a bolt of magical force lashed out and struck the wizard, smashing him through the air with a loud crack. He landed in a giant clump of moss Flora had hastily crafted for him, kicking up dust everywhere. The artefact landed not far from him, rolling and bouncing across the stones.

"What... What happened?" Stella asked with panic. "Was it supposed to do that?"

"N-no," Taboc said weakly and coughed. "It has charged to much magic. The artefact cannot reach the inner workings of the portal. Any attempt to do so will just draw an intense burst of the raw magical energy."

"You have broken several bones and I suspect some of your organs may have ruptured," Flora said as she began administering what aid she could. "We need to get you medical help now or the damage might become fatal."

"If we can't close the portal, then what can we do?" Musa asked.

"The only way to do it is to force one's way into the portal and use the artefact from the inside," Taboc struggled to say. "But if that happens, one would be bombarded by the raw magic when the portal collapses in on itself. The person would be torn apart by a thousand spells". He coughed. "Give me the artefact. Nobody else will pay for my mistakes".

"You're too weak," Flora insisted. "You will die before you manage to force you way in there. And we cannot risk losing the artefact".

"But... But we have to get it in there," Taboc insisted. "Or we will all die."

"I'll do it," Aisha said. "Tides is my responsibility. My parents will be able to replace me."

"Even so, the sudden loss of you will cause untold chaos. Your kingdom will need you while they recover," Flora said. "I am more expendable in that regard."

"Oh, like you don't have people who rely upon you," Musa said annoyed. "Your people will need you in the future and your family needs you now. I should do it."

"But you may not have enough magical power to survive long enough to destabilize the portal," Bloom argued. "I have the dragonflame, which gives me the best odds."

"But that would also completely destroy the royal line of Domino," Flora pointed out.

"Then give the title to Eugene or someone else qualified," Bloom remarked. "They survived fifteen years without me, I'm sure they'll manage."

"Are we really arguing about who gets to kill themselves?" Stella asked exasperated. "I mean, seriously?"

"I would offer myself, but I have no magic," the remaining marine noted.

"Thanks. It's nice to know everyone's willing to contribute," Stella noted. "This is silly. What do you think, Techna?" She paused as she looked around. "Techna?" Suddenly her eyes widened and she yelled: "TECHNA!"

Everyone's attention were at the supercharged portal, in front of which Techna stood, casually weighting the artefact in her hand.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Musa yelled as the girls tried to run up to their friend, struggling to push through the intensifying winds.

"Oh, well, I figured someone had to do this," she replied with a shrug as she turned towards them. "And all of you sound like you have pretty important stuff to do while alive, so it just seemed like it would inconvenience you".

"Are you _crazy_!?" Bloom desperately asked. "Get away from the portal now. You don't have to do this. Please".

Techna stared thoughtfully at the artefact for a moment. Then she looked at the girls and said: "Thanks for being friends with me. I really do appreciate you gals. Could you say hi to everyone for me, especially Mom and Timmy? I think they'll miss me".

"Wait, WAIT!" Flora called as she struggled to get up to the scarred girl. "THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A SECOND, YOU DOLT!"

Techna gave a cocky smile, her head slightly tilted as she said: "See ya on the other side". And then she took a step backwards, disappearing into the intense light.

The faeries starred at the glowing energy in shock. Not a sound could be heard but the howling of the wind. And then there was a sudden rumble. The magical energy crackled and wavered, sputtering sparks in all directions.

"She... SHE DID IT!" Taboc yelled. "THE PORTAL IS COLLAPSING!"

The earth began rumbling as the charged energy was sucked into the limbo between worlds, the sky above flashing as all the magical energy faded. Cracks began spreading in the stones and the entire portal area began shaking.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Musa yelled.  
"THE AREA WAS HELD UP BY THE PORTAL'S MAGIC! WITHOUT IT, IT'S COLLAPSING!" Taboc yelled. "WE MUST FLEE!"

"BUT WHAT ABOUT TECHNA?!" Bloom called.

"IT'S TOO LATE! WE HAVE TO SAVE OURSELVES!" Taboc called as the marine grabbed him and made a run for it.

The girls charged up the side of the crater as the rocks began falling breaking apart and tumbling into the ocean below. The entire island shook as the earth resettled, the portal area cracking apart and sinking into the depths. The faeries charged down the side of the rise, leaping and jumping across all obstacles. They landed hard on the earth by the foot of the rocks and watched in horror as the whole thing collapsed into the sea, leaving nothing but some stones poking out of the unruly ocean.

Above, the tumultuous skies stopped swirling and rays of sunlight started poking through as the land settled. All around, people began rejoicing as they saw that the great disaster had been averted.

But some people were not celebrating.

"I am... I am deeply sorry," Taboc said, struggling to find the words. "It should have been me. I would gladly have given up my life to stop my creation. I have nothing to offer but my... My sincerest apologies".

"It is... Okay," Flora said, her voice slow as the reality of the situation set in. She slowly sat down on an exposed tree root and allowed herself to cry. Aisha sat down and offered her friend a comforting arm, even as she herself began crying.

"No, no, NO, NO!" Musa yelled as she ran to the broken edge of the isle. "TECHNA! TECHNA!" Her magically amplified voice danced across the ocean, but nobody responded. The black-haired musician stared for many seconds, before collapsing on the ground. Stella sat down beside her as the girl began sobbing.

There was a sudden whoosh and everyone was momentarily shaken out of their grief as a tree was reduced to a burnt crisp.

Bloom shook, her body trembling and tears streaming from her eyes as ancient and powerful magic danced across her body. She opened her mouth and spoke a single word laced with anger and sorrow. "Valtor!"


	14. The Heir's Fury

Chapter 14: The Heir's Fury

Riven raised his hand to knock on the door. Then he paused, exhaled and began walking in circles again. He found himself in a rather uncomfortable situation. He wanted to talk with Timmy and check up on him to see how he was doing. But the magenta-haired soldier had no idea what to say. This was so far outside his comfort zone that he had absolutely no clue what to do. But not doing anything didn't seem right either. He took a deep breath, resolved to be there for his friend and walked up to the door.

Then he walked away again, thinking that maybe Timmy would rather be alone.

He shook his head. That was just him rationalizing his own, for a lack of better term, cowardice. He hated these awkward and emotional moments. He never knew what to do in them and usually just ended up saying something insensitive and stupid.

He returned to the door. Just being there would have to be good enough. Nobody would expect anything grand from him. Timmy deserved the company and comfort if he wanted it. He knocked on the door and he heard a muted: "Come in."

"Hey there, Timmy," Riven said carefully as he entered the small room where the bespectacled sharpshooter had his bed and private stuff. "How are you holding up?"

"I feel... Kinda empty," Timmy replied. He was sitting on the bed, staring at a photograph. Riven didn't even need to look at it to figure out who was on it.

"Look, I can't say I know how you feel," Riven started. "Being an orphan, I've never had much family to lose and my breakup with Darcy, though intense, kinda involved a different set of feelings. But for what it's worth, I'm here for you, man. You just tell me if you need anything and I'll do my best to help."

"Thanks. I really do appreciate it," Timmy said, as he put the photograph down. "I just... I wish I could at least have said goodbye." A sad chuckle escaped him. "She wanted them to say hi. As if she just went on a vacation."

"That does sound like her," Riven said, while nodding. "Gotta admit, we were never the closest of acquaintances. But I'll miss her. She had spunk. Not afraid to say what should be said. Crazy, but in that fun kind of way."

"Yeah," Timmy sighed, sadness evident in his voice. "I'll miss her. But she wouldn't want me sitting here moping. She'd want me to get out there and experience life. I just... I just need some time."

"We all do," Riven said. "Shame we can't tell neither Sky nor Brandon. Both Bloom and Stella took it hard. They all did". He paused, before slowly admitting: "We all did."

"I just always figured that it would be the other way around," Timmy continued. "That it would be me who died on a mission and left her behind. It just doesn't feel right."

"Well, they have thrown themselves into danger plenty of times. Never were afraid to take a risk if they felt it was necesarry," Riven said as he walked up to the window, taking in the view. "We've been lucky a lot of times. Figures that sooner or later, our luck would run out." He exhaled. "Sorry, I don't mean to come off as cold."

"It's okay, I understand," the bespectacled sharpshooter reassured him. "You also need to get through this."

"Does her mother know?" Riven inquired.

"Faragonda said she would contact her. I can only imagine how hard that must be for her," Timmy replied. "Maybe I should visit her. Take some time off maybe." He paused. "We don't even have her body."

"I know. Doesn't feel right," Riven admitted. "It's like one of the priorities once battle is over. Recovering the fallen and so on. But Techna..." He paused. "She was probably disintegrated by the magical force." Awkward silence filled the room. "Sorry, you probably don't want to hear that," the magenta-haired soldier quickly added. "Just ignore me and my vigorous eating of my own foot."

Timmy allowed himself to chuckle. "You do that a lot." He paused. "But maybe..." Determination glimmered in his eyes. He got up from the bed and said: "I appreciate your visit, Riven and I thank you for the support. But..."

"You'd rather be alone right now," Riven guessed. "It's fine, buddy. You just give me a call if you need anything."

"Thanks. I might just take you up on that offer in the near future," Timmy said as he let Riven out. "But for now, I just need a moment to think things through. I need to figure out what I should do now."

...

Bloom was angry. She was angry, sad and a host of other feelings that left her constantly flipping between melancholy and fury. Her unstable emotions had already left a mark on her room in the form of soot and the occasional burnt item.

Kiko wandered nervously around in his cage, discomforted by his owner's irate state.

The redhead snorted and got up from her bed again, as she felt her mood tip towards anger again. Her thoughts were constantly shifting between how much she missed Techna and how much she wanted to beat Valtor's stupid, smug face into an unrecognisable pulp.

 _Valtor_.

The very thought of his name sent new waves of energy through the redhead, small flames dancing across her skin and the dragonflame subtly glowing behind her eyes. Not only had he almost destroyed Domino as a kingdom, he had also put the entire planet of Andros in danger. And Techna had been the one to pay the price for that.

This thought sent her crashing back down again and she dumped back into her bed with a depressed sigh. She missed her friend. She didn't always get her, but she was fun to hang around with.

There was a knock on the door and Bloom despondently said: "Come in." To her surprise, it was Faragonda who entered.

"How are you feeling, Bloom?" she gently asked.

"Horrible," the redhead admitted. "I don't know whether to cry or punch something."

"Both are natural ways to channel grief," Faragonda said supportively. "I know how you feel, Bloom. I've lost good friends too".

"I've known people who died before," Bloom said, as much to the headmistress as to herself. "Old grandparents. Some of my classmates. But this feels so much worse". Her voice got a bit high-pitched and she rolled around to burrow her face in a pillow.

"You six became very close. Like family," Faragonda said. "There is no shame to be found in the feeling of loss, Bloom. If you feel you need to take a couple of days off to recover, you're allowed to do so. Think of what you need right now. There are times when selfishness is the right choice".  
"I want to find Valtor and kill him," Bloom said, as she withdrew her face from a pillow, tears staining the fabric. "I want to burn him 'till there's nothing left but cinders and ashes."

"That is also a natural way to feel," the headmistress sadly sighed. "Bloom, this may not be what you want to hear right now. Fighting Valtor is not a good way to channel your anger. He is powerful and dangerous. Risking yourself will not bring Techna back and I sincerely doubt Tshe would have wanted you to do that."  
"WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF WHAT TECHNA WANTED!?" Bloom suddenly yelled as she jumped out of her bed, flames dancing across her skin. She stood there, breathing heavily as the fire slowly died, before she collapsed on the bed again, face hidden behind her hands. "So-sorry," she sniffled. "I didn't..."

"It's okay, Bloom. I understand how frustrating it must feel to hear that," Faragonda said as she sat down beside the sobbing redhead. She placed a gentle hand on her head and gently caressed it. "Sorrow is a hard thing to get through. It takes its time and everyone goes through it differently. It is nothing to be ashamed off."

"I just... Feel so useless," Bloom said as she dried her eyes. "I can't help but... But think that if we'd gotten there sooner or done something differently, maybe... Maybe this wouldn't have happened."

"Bloom, do not blame yourself for what happened," Faragonda insisted. "You were all brave and did what you could to save Andros. I heard how all of you were willing to sacrifice yourselves to stop the planet from falling apart. You have done more than enough, far more than what could be expected of you. Allow yourself to rest and find comfort in the fact that Techna was a brave and courageous girl who chose to do this to save everyone, you girls included." She rose from the bed and opened the room's door. She paused, before turning her head and saying: "I'll be in my office. You can contact me if you want to talk."

"O-okay," Bloom sniffed, and the door closed as the headmistress left. The redhead lay on her bed, listening to the soft sounds of Kiko running around in his cage. Her hands slowly clenched into fists as fire began emanating from her body. As she rose from her bed, determination filled her as one thing became clear. As not only a good friend, but also as the heir to Domino, she had to make sure of one thing.

That Valtor would never hurt anybody ever again.

...

Oppositus was one of the more... Peculiar realms of Harmony. It had been founded by artists, funded by artists and made for artists. And tourists.

Gardeners, landscapers, architects and magi had all come together to create a country that was the very embodiment of their artistic ideal. And that ideal was contrast. Every building, every forest and every mountain had been shaped to stand in stark opposition to something else. Powerful magic had been invested in making it so and keeping it that way. And so, Oppositus had become a symbol of what exactly artistic dedication could do if one was determined enough.

But to Valtor, it just seemed incredibly tacky. The constant contrasting made everything seem busy and quickly tired the eye. The artists had been so dedicated to this ideal, that nobody had stopped up and asked why nobody else had designed streets with houses painted in such contrasting colours. Colours so completely vivid that one could almost hear them scream. Despite the attempt at creating balance, the many elements needed to make a realm made it impossible to maintain perfect harmony. In fact, as Valtor made his way down one of the streets, he wasn't sure that they were even close to balancing it all out. Frankly, he was convinced that he was doing them all a favour by pulling the plug on this slow death of good taste. There was a reason Oppositus was often brought up whenever the subject of weird realms was mentioned. The dandy magi had found it all completely tasteless before his exile to Omega and seventeen years in the freezer had not changed that.

He walked past a group of laughing tourists and headed up to the Hall of the Landshapers, where the different groups of Oppositus met to discuss how to progress their artistic vision. There had even recently been a suggestion to have every guard at the place be paired with someone who was the complete opposite, a suggestion that struck Valtor as both pointless and dangerous. What if one guard was very dedicated? Did the other one have to be lazy? Should a strong guard always patrol with a weak one? The sorcerer stopped. Two guards stood by the entrance, one tall and thin while the other was short and stout. Valtor blinked before exhaling loudly as he went up the steps. He wondered if it was all some comedic happen-stance or if some lunatic had actually managed to make it law that guards had to contrast. Again, the thought that he was doing them a favour popped into his mind.

"Halt. State your business," the short guard barked, while his companion yawned.

It struck Valtor as vaguely amusing that nobody recognised him. He was used to standing out due to his impeccable taste in clothes and statuesque physique. Also for being a wanted fugitive hunted for what he did to Domino, though he did consider that to be a very recent addition to his portfolio. But in Oppositus, with its many extremes, Valtor drowned in sharp colours and forms, looking very much like he fit in.

"I heard that the Spade of Taiji was housed here," the well-dressed sorcerer said. "And I'd very much like to take a look at it. So if you'd open the doors, that would be nice."

"Sorry, bub. We don't open 'till tomorrow," the guard replied.

"Do you even know who I am?" Valtor inquired.

"Should I?" asked the short guard.

"I think that's him there that Valtor fella," the thin guard suggested, sounding somewhat uninterested.

"You sure? Wasn't he taller?" the other guard asked.

"I dunno. Papers don't come with no height measurements," came the reply.

Valtor rubbed his face in annoyance as the embarrassing routine played out. "I am Valtor, yes," he said exasperated. "Scourge of Domino, Great Servant of the Coven, blah, blah, blah. Can I get in now?"

"Sorry. Criminals still have to wait for official opening hours," the short guard stated firmly.

"Golly, should we, like, arrest him?" the tall one asked.

"We're not the police, Lenny. We're just here to stop people from entering the hall without permission."

"But should we, like, call the police fellas?" came the follow-up question.

"I must have died somewhere along the way and this is my eternal punishment," Valtor mumbled. "Okay, let's cut the vagueness. I do not intend to follow the rules. I'm here for the Spade and I will rip this place asunder if that will get me it. So why don't you two comedy hour rejects do yourselves a favour and just let me do my thing, because I can guarantee you that with everything I've been through, I'm not letting a fat and skinny slapstick duo be the thing to stop me. Is that clear?"

"Gosh, I think he's serious," the thin guard said. "I really think we should call the cops."

"But can we have him arrested for threatening us?" the short one asked.

"We're public servants, ain't we?"

"I dunno. Give me a moment, I'll contact our boss. Hey, WAIT, I SAID GIVE US A MOMENT!" the short one yelled as Valtor marched past them and pushed through the doors. "HEY! COME BACK! WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT IF WE SHOULD CALL THE POLICE ON YOU!"

"Jeepers, John, don't you think now that he's forced his way in we should arrest him?" the tall one asked.

"I dunno, Lenny. I liked the 'call the cops' plan more."

"How does this realm function?" the sorcerer asked himself in an exasperated tone as he marched into the centre of the hall. "Great Dragon's flaming breath, only Harmony could sustain a realm so bereft of common sense and good taste." In the very centre of the building, halfway stabbed into a stone, was the Spade of Taiji. Compared to everything else, it looked surprisingly dull, but Valtor could feel the power within it. He smashed through the glass case that protected it, grabbed the hard shaft with his hand and felt the great power surge out of it to become one with him. The realm-wide enchantment that helped preserve the contrasts faded as Valtor absorbed the dragonshade and with a smile, he opened a portal back home.

...

Night had fallen over Alfea. Though they had lost the Shield of Morgause, the staff still had the resources to create a protective barrier, though they knew it would do nothing but provide a temporary delay should Valtor come back. Not that the strengthened shield had managed to do more than that.

Avalon was patrolling through the courtyard, keeping a sharp eye on everything. He glanced at his watch and moved on to check the area around the greenhouse.

As he left, Bloom popped out of a bush and began creeping closer to the barrier. Though it had brought back painful memories, she had managed to sneak into Techna's room and take the device the scarred girl had once used to get them in through the barrier. The original had of course been confiscated and Techna had promised not to make a device similar to it, which was why the version Bloom had found in her room was pink with teal spots. No wonder the girl had liked Stella's cloth designs.

As the redhead stood by the barrier and prepared to open it, she was suddenly surprised by a voice telling her that: "You're not nearly as subtle as you think."

The redhead whirled around, only to see Musa and Aisha. "What are you two doing here?"

"You're going after Valtor," the black-haired musician stated. "I owe him a visit too."

"The threat he poses is too great," Aisha agreed. "He threatened my entire homeworld and cost me a good friend. Nobody else is doing anything, so it seems that we will have to be the ones to end this."

"You do realise how dangerous this is going to be, right?" Bloom asked.

"Yeah. I was there last time," Musa reminded her. "But back then, we were just there trying to free Faragonda. This time..." she hissed, clenching her hands hard enough to make her knuckles crack. "This time we're going to _kill_ him."

"Alright then. Let's go," Bloom said as she placed the device against the barrier and pressed a button. Seconds later, a wide hole opened and the girls slipped through, rushed across the street and began their trek through the woods.

"What about Flora and Stella?" Bloom asked.

"Flora would never let us do this, especially after what just happened to Techna," Musa said. "And I got the feeling that Stella agrees with her. I questioned her a bit and she said that she'd definitely prefer if all of us stay as far away from Valtor as possible." She looked over her shoulder. "Aisha, you're falling behind."  
"Oh, sorry," the princess of Tides said, as she returned her attention to her friends. "I just... Felt like somebody was watching me. Again."  
"One of these days we better scour these woods and find out what it is that keeps watching you," Bloom commented as they headed deeper into the forest. "But for now, we have more important concerns."

...

A rift opened in the air inside of Cloud Tower and Valtor strode out, enjoying the feeling of new power surging through him. As the portal closed behind him, he noted that he was not alone in the office.

"So, you're back," Icy stated. During the last many days, Valtor had slowly aged them in an attempt to get them back to their normal selves. By now, they had reached the middle of their teenage years, which had resulted in Stormy coming down with a bad case of acne, while Darcy was enduring headaches during her menstruation.

"Yes. It went well, if a bit silly," Valtor noted as he sat down. "How have things been back here?"

"Nothing much. Though Stormy has been whining about the news," Icy commented.

"The news?" the sorcerer repeated.  
"You remember that portal on Omega that you opened?" Stormy started. "It almost detonated. Something about a security measure that... You... Darcy, what was it he did?"

Darcy shook her head and said: "It was supposed to be self-sealing, but you broke something in it. So it just kept charging magic until it nearly blew a hole in Andros. Dozens of criminals escaped in the chaos and many have yet to be found."

Valtor rose from his chair with an unreadable expression, before he turned towards the window. "And what was the end result?" he asked.

"A girl named Pollyanna sacrificed herself to close the gate," the dirty-blond finished.

"That's..." Valtor commented as he turned back towards them. "I really don't know what to say. I suppose we should have closed the portal. But really," he paused, as he thought it through. "How badly designed was that portal even? Portals shouldn't just turn into bombs like that."

"Dunno. You were the one who broke it," Stormy pointed out.

"Yes. I did," the dandy magi confirmed. "Forced it to stay open even." He shook his head. "Well, there's really nothing we can do about that now. The crisis has passed."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Icy commented uncaring. "So what happened on Oppositus?"

"I only had to get through the most useless pair of guards I've ever had to deal with. Then the dragonshade was mine," he said. "Now I can add opposition to the list of abilities I have."  
"Opposition? How does that even work?" the white-haired witch inquired.

"I imagine I could turn you into an old man for example," Valtor said as he pointed a finger at her. "Stand still for a moment."

Icy immediately yelped and leapt to the side, ducking beneath a sofa.

The dandy sorcerer laughed a bit, before reassuring her that: "It's okay, Icy. I was just joking."

Stormy couldn't help but snicker as a rather embarrassed Icy crawled out of hiding, while Darcy was suddenly busy looking at something.

"Shut. Up," the white-haired witch grumbled as she blushed slightly.

"In all honesty, opposition is a rather abstract ability," Valtor continued. "I'll probably find a use for it though. I always do."

"So what's next on our agenda?" Darcy asked.

"Hmm, well, I've gotten all the shades I've been interested in for now," Valtor commented. "So I suppose we'll take a short break until we can find some more. Will also give me time to focus on getting you three back to your normal age."

"How many dragonshades do we actually need?" Stormy asked. "I mean, at this point I don't think there's much left for you to learn how to control."

"True, I have expanded my powers a lot," Valtor agreed. "But more is necessary."

"For what? What exactly are we working towards?" the wild-haired witch exasperatedly asked. "I don't like being kept in the dark. Last time it turned out that we were working for somebody who wanted to blow the universe the fuck up."

"Yeah, Darkar did set a bad precedent in that regard," Valtor commented. "I do suppose you've earned insight into my grand plan. I never intended to keep you in the dark forever, but one has to be stingy with one's trust. You all know of Domino, right?"

"Yeah. You froze it," Darcy stated.

"Exactly. But a peculiar side-effect of the ritual means that I can..." the dandy sorcerer started, but was cut off by a loud growling from Stormy's stomach. Bemused, he remarked that: "How about you three get some lunch first? You are in that age where your body needs extra nourishment so you can all grow up to be beautiful and healthy ladies."

"Ha, ha," Stormy remarked, before her stomach growled again. "But, you know, I could really go for some lunch now."

"Teenage bodies are so high-maintenance," Darcy said annoyed. "We'll be right back".

"You know where to find me," Valtor said as he sat down in the chair and began booting up his computer. Minutes after the witches had left, Valtor felt a familiar presence in the room. He sighed and said: "I know. The portal. I messed up." His attention shifted to his visitor. He paused. "Oh," he emitted as he noted his visitor's expression. He sighed deeply, mentally preparing himself as he asked: "So how bad is it?"

...

"Is it just me or has the food gotten completely tasteless ever since Valtor took over?" Stormy inquired as she placed the bowl of greyish gruel on her table.

"I suspect those two things are not unrelated," Darcy noted, before sipping a cup of tea that mostlyy tasted like lukewarm water.

Stormy just nodded and began eating the utterly tasteless, though very nutritious dinner. She was halfway through her lunch when she cast a look around the cafeteria, noting her possessed classmates who were mindlessly stuffing themselves as ordered. She exhaled. "I know it's just me, but I do feel pretty bad helping Valtor turn everyone into his servants."

"Why? It's not like they ever did anything for us," Icy noted with a shrug.

"If it is any comfort, then they will wake up well-rested and healthy," Darcy noted. "All Valtor has really done is delaying their education, which they won't even notice."

"Still, I dunno," the wild-haired witch continued. "Maybe once we're done in Cloud Tower we can leave them a couple of presents. I think Lucy would like..."

The wall besides them suddenly exploded and the three witches, as well as several of their controlled classmates, were thrown across the room. Large chunks of Cloud Tower rained down over the cafeteria and melted as the magic that sustained them was cut off.

"The fuck just happened?!" Icy yelled as she forced herself out of a pile of gunk. "Stormy? Darcy? Where are you?"

She dug through the mess and pulled a dizzy looking Stormy up, her eyes spinning around.

"I'd like the pink one, Mom," she said drunkenly.

Not far from the two of them, Darcy slipped out of a shadow, thoroughly winded. "That's... So much... Harder... Than I'm... Used to," she remarked and looked up at the great hole in the wall. "Oh my."

Bloom looked down on them, flames covering her skin. "Where. Is. Valtor?"

"As if we'd tell you, you..." Icy started, only for Darcy to clamp a hand over her mouth.

"Really not the moment," she hissed as she eyed Bloom. "She's obviously not here to negotiate."

Flanking the irate Bloom were Musa and Aisha, who also looked ready to pummel the three de-powered witches if necessary.

"Well?" Bloom asked, a fireball manifesting in her hand.

"He's in his office. Griffin's old office to be specific," Darcy said, as she let her white-haired companion go. The three faeries exchanged glances and then ran off.

"Why'd you do that?" Icy asked angrily.

"Because we're weak and vulnerable right now. We'd be lucky to last five minutes against them," Darcy insisted. "But now that they've gone, I can do this". She pointed a finger and loudly ordered: "GET THEM!" All the possessed witches stood up and began pursuing the three faeries. "Now, with that out of the way, could you conjure some ice for our friend here?" she continued, indicating the still mumbling form of Stormy.

...

In the hallways, Bloom, Aisha and Musa ran towards the office as they heard the witches closing in.

"Dammit. Should have done something about those three," Musa commented as she eyed the pursuing horde over her shoulder.

"We don't have time. We have to hit Valtor quick and hard," Bloom insisted. A bolt of lightning struck a wall not far behind her. She turned and conjured a firewall, which the witches immediately began putting out. Their pursuers thus delayed, the girls rushed down the hallway, only to come to a halt as the path sharply split in two.

"Which way?" Aisha asked.

"Dunno. Cloud Tower changes every so often, so I doubt going from memory will help," Musa noted.

Suddenly a huge rock flew towards them and the girls jumped to the sides to avoid it. The horde of witches had gotten through the flames and were now bombarding them with projectiles. Bloom tried to get a good look from her cover behind the corner. Aisha and Musa had taken refuge on the other side. But there was no way they could reach each other without being shot.

"Can we take them?" Musa asked.

"If we do, we'll be too weak when we find Valtor," Bloom noted. "And if he notices we're here, he'll turn the entire building against us. We have to hurry."  
"Then we have to split and hope we can meet up again. Good luck," Musa called, as she and Aisha ran down the hallway they had taken cover in. Bloom nodded and charged the other way. She ran up a couple of stairs, projectiles of all sorts smashing against the steps. She turned and conjured a new firewall to delay the witches that had followed her, before continuing upwards.

The twisted hallways of the tower turned and shifted, leaving the redhead with no clue as to where the office would be. Or where she herself was, for that matter. She had a vague feeling she had to keep heading up though.

As she ran, she dared take a look over her shoulder. It seemed as if the witches had either given up their pursuit or fallen so far behind that they didn't know where she was. That would give her some time. At least until Valtor noticed that they were in the tower. She paused, trying to catch her breath. All the running had caused her side to ache. She heard something as she stood gasping in the hallway. A voice, muted but not far away. A voice she recognised. Anger blazed in her again and flames swirled around her. She would never forget that voice.

 _Valtor_.

She rushed towards it with wrath and determination filling her mind, the voice becoming clearer and clearer, as she closed in on the door at the end of the hallway. "...sincerely doubt she would accept that. Last time I tried, it did not go close to well. Which you should have noticed, given that you were..." With an angry roar, Bloom charged her powers and blasted the door as she approached. It and the surrounding wall was blown to pieces and Bloom jumped through the smoke, fire ready to burn Valtor the moment she saw him. But she stopped, shocked. Valtor, who was dusting off his coat with a look of annoyance, was not alone. Not that it struck the redhead as too surprising, given that she had heard him talking with somebody. But it was the fact that she recognised the person he had been talking with that caused her to pause.

Completely taken aback by whom she saw, the redhead found herself unable to do anything but ask: "Daphne?"

...

As the dominated witches streamed into the corridor, Musa and Aisha ran away while trying to dodge the barrage of blasts. But the corridor offered precious little cover and Musa screamed in pain as one of the projectiles found its mark. A oversized thorn had pierced her leg, causing her to fall.

"MUSA!" Aisha called as she stopped up. The horde of witches was almost on them. There was nowhere to run. The princess of Tides readied herself as she prepared to defend her friend.

Then the hallway quite suddenly grew an extra wall, separating the two faeries from Valtor's minions.

"Well... That happened," Musa struggled as she fought to get the thorn out of her body. Blood flowed from the wound, staining her pants and shoes.

"Mind telling me why you're blowing holes in my poor tower?" Discorda asked sharply as she flew through one of the wall. "Don't you think it has suffered enough?"

"Sorry," Aisha said apologetically. "But sneaking in ended catastrophically for us last time. The only way we could take Valtor would be by surprise and with speed. So we really couldn't use the doors."

"The tower can regenerate, right?" Musa asked, as she used some medical supplies they had brought to stop the bleeding.

"In due time. Still..." Discorda said with a headshake. "As much as I admire your determination in bringing Valtor down, that doesn't excuse hurting Cloud Tower. I would have had you sent to detention if the situation wasn't so dire."

"But it is that dire," the black-haired musician insisted as she slowly stood up again. "And you're not exactly easy to contact. Otherwise, you could easily have led us to him. Then we wouldn't have been separated from Bloom."

"You have a point there, I admit," the pixie said. "Alright then. But how about we help each other from now on. You mentioned Bloom. So she was with you?"

"Yes. But Valtor's minions separated us. We have no idea where she is now," Aisha stated.

"A shame. Do you really think you have what it takes to take Valtor down?" Discordia inquired.

"Well... I don't know," Musa sighed. "But we've lost a good friend because of him. We can't allow him to keep hurting people."

"If we are to stop him, we'll need help," the pixie commented. "Normally, I wouldn't suggest this due to the alarms. But if subtlety is out of the window, then I suppose we could free Griffin. She's still free of his control and she is quite powerful. She couldn't take Valtor on alone, but if we all work together, maybe then we stand a chance. Especially if I use my staff to counter his control of Cloud Tower."

"Sounds like a plan," Musa said. "Lead the way."

The pixie opened a hole in the wall and the two faeries followed her.

...

"You know," Valtor started, with a rather miffed expression. "There's little point in knocking when you do it with such gusto that the door ceases to be."

Bloom didn't hear his comment, too surprised by the unexpected appearance of her sister. Daphne too looked completely shocked by her little sister's dramatic entry. "What... What are you doing here?" the redhead finally managed to ask.

Daphne seemed to be at an uncharacteristically complete loss of words.

"She's visiting me," Valtor said, as he returned to his chair, wiping pieces of the tower off the table. "Or did you forget that you brought me the mask?"

"You... You wanted me... So you could _visit_ him?" Bloom asked, completely confused.

"Bloom, I don't know why you're here," Daphne pleaded. "But please, go back to Alfea. This is not the right time."

"The right... Right... The time is..." Bloom stumbled through her words as conflicting emotions detonated in her head. "Not the... NOT THE RIGHT TIME? NOT! THE RIGHT! TIME?! TECHNA IS DEAD BECAUSE OF HIM! PEOPLE HAVE SUFFERED, BECAUSE OF HIM! AND YOU SAY IT ISN'T THE RIGHT TIME! WHY?!"

The ghost looked incredibly taken aback by her sibling's outburst.

"Bloom, there's a lot more to this than you have been told," she tried to insist. "But this is really not the best way to solve this. Trust me, little sister, I..."

"LAST TIME I DID THAT, AISHA LOST HER SIGHT!" Bloom yelled, fire enveloping her form. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH TROUBLE WE WENT THROUGH BECAUSE OF THAT!"

"To be fair, you did attack me," Valtor pointed out. "I gave you a chance to leave. Several, in fact." He immediately held up his hand, conjuring a shield that blocked the fireball Bloom threw at him. The window behind the dandy sorcerer burst as the intense heat hit it. "And as for your accusations of me killing anybody, I can assure you that I would remember if I had done such a thing."

"You're not helping," Daphne tried, keeping an eye on the increasingly angry Bloom.

"TECHNA DIED BECAUSE OF YOU!" the Dominian princess continued. "SKY AND RADIUS ARE BRAINDEAD PUPPETS, STELLA HAS BEEN EXILED AND DOMINO IS BURIED IN ICE! AND THAT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"Okay, the Solaria débâcle and the Domino business are all things I've been involved with to some degree, true," the dandy magi said as he got up from his chair. "But I still have no idea what you're talking about when you say I killed one of your friends."

"TECHNA DIED CLOSING THE PORTAL YOU RIPPED OPEN!" Bloom yelled.

Valtor blinked, looking a bit at a loss.

"Techna was Pollyanna Clearwater's nickname," Daphne elaborated. "Bloom, I understand how it feels to lose somebody you care for. But there is nothing to be gained from this rash course of action. Please, return to Alfea. I promise I'll explain everything."

"A bit too late for that," Bloom snorted.

"So you blame me for what happened to your friend," Valtor stated, as he lightly jumped over the desk. "Well, I suppose that is easy. Just say 'Valtor did it'. Nobody's going to complain if you actually managed to off me. You would probably even be declared a heroine."

"You broke that portal," the redhead said as flames began gathering in her hands. "You put all of Andros is danger, just because you wanted to be free!"

"An unintended side-effect, I assure you," the dandy magi said. "But why blame me? Why not the architects, who devised such a risky safety mechanism? Why not the nobles, whose paranoia led to said safety measures? Or maybe the politicians that insisted on sending people to that forsaken hunk of ice? I'll tell you why," he said, as he looked Bloom straight in the eyes. "Because it's easier."

"Valtor, I really think we should stop this," Daphne pleaded.

Valtor ignored the undead woman, focusing on Bloom. "It's so much easier, isn't it? It's like I told you back on Andros. People prefer the easy narrative. The good and the bad clashing. The heroes courageously defeating the villains. That's the easy way to look at things. Nobody cares about my struggles, my history or my opinions. That's why they sent me to Omega after all. They just wanted me to be defeated, so they could go home and sleep soundly now that the 'villain' had been defeated. And it's easier for you too. Otherwise, you might have had to consider the thought that your friend died because of a series of unfortunate circumstances. No, your friend _chose_ to die because of that. And that's scary, isn't it? Scarier than some mean old sorcerer causing trouble, right? Because that's something you can beat up. That's something you can get angry at. Something you can kill. Oh yes, you could kill me. Maybe not now, but eventually. But the thing is, you can't destroy the random probabilities of the universe, but a villain, now he can be stopped. Let's be frank here, yes, I opened the portal. I opened that portal while keeping myself warm with my magic in sub-zero temperatures. While constantly on guard, in case my three new companions decided to backstab me. While I had to conserve as much power as possible for the guards on the other side. All this while trying to break open one of the most complex portals I've ever seen because I did not want to spend the rest of eternity trapped on an oversized snowball. So yes, I made a mistake. I do make those. Not even I am beyond mistakes. But you know what? If somebody had said something, I'm sure we could have worked something out. I sure wouldn't have wanted to have a base of operations on Andros with a ticking time-bomb near me. And if I had been promised that I would not be captured, I would gladly have assisted in closing the portal. But hey, I'm the villain, right? So it's much easier to just pretend I would enjoy seeing Andros laid to waste. So much easier for you to just call me evil, storm in here and set everything on fire to somehow avenge your friend," he finished. A short pause commenced. "Isn't that right? Phila?"

With a bestial roar, Bloom let loose, the dragonflame surging through her body. She could feel the heat scorch her fingers, but her control over her powers had grown considerably since she first came to Alfea. The intense wave of flames completely obscured the form of the well-dressed sorcerer as the floor, desk and much of the wall behind him was burnt to ashes. The redhead kept pouring her sorrow, her wrath and her complete contempt into her attack, wishing the sorcerer gone.  
But somewhere inside the inferno, she could feel another force. A force slowly gaining strength and momentum. The flames of her spell were pushed back as a powerful forcefield grew from Valtor's body, intense energy flowing through his veins. With a roar of exertion, the shield rapidly expanded and Bloom was knocked on her ass as it hit her, stopping her attack. She jumped back up, ready to re-assume her attack. But as Valtor clenched his fist, Bloom found that every single muscle in her body had tensed, paralysing her. She breathed heavily, one of the few things she was still capable off. She tried to fight off the control, but Valtor's domination was absolute. She could not budge an inch. And as he stepped closer, the living tower filling in the holes in the floor to grant him passage, Bloom realised a horrifying truth as she saw the ancient spark of power in Valtor's eyes.

He had a dragonflame. And there could be no doubt that it was stronger than Bloom's.

...

The noises from somewhere in the tower had caught Griffin's attention. It certainly sounded violent. She briefly entertained the thought that maybe the various realms had gotten off their asses, pooled their resources, agreed on a course of actions and were now attempting to stop Valtor. She started chuckling. An amusing, if unrealistic idea.

She heard footsteps outside her cell and found herself quite surprised to see Aisha and Musa run around the corner. It took her a moment to even notice Discorda, who was quite small compared to the faeries. "Girls? What are you doing here?" she asked. "Again, that is."

"There was an incident on Andros," Aisha explained. "The portal Valtor opened almost exploded. Techna sacrificed herself to stop it."

Griffin closed her eyes for a moment. "I... Am sorry to hear that," she finally said. "She always struck me as a brave young lady with a lot of potential. The multiverse is much poorer for it. But that still doesn't explain why you're here."

"We're done having Valtor ruin our lives," Musa said. "We're here to take him down. And we need your help."

"I told you last time, girls. These bars are enchanted. Valtor will be alarmed if you try to get me out," the headmistress informed them.

The tower shook again as something far above them exploded.

"I think he might be distracted right now," Aisha commented. "Bloom may have found him."

"Bloom is trying to take on Valtor?" Griffin asked, shock evident on her face. "No, that is definitely not a good idea. We need to get her... Well, all of you out."

"What is it with Bloom and Valtor?" Musa exasperatedly asked. "Faragonda, Daphne and now you. You all know something and you're not doing a good job of telling us."

Griffin sighed. "It is a sad chapter in all our histories. I wanted to protect Bloom from becoming part of it. There's much to it, but what you need to know right now is that Valtor is at full power. No, more than full power, as his hunt for dragonshades has only expanded his magic. There is no way you could defeat him as he is."

"He must have some form of limitation," Musa insisted. "He was defeated once."

"Yes, after cursing an entire realm to eternal winter and banishing every living soul in it," Griffin continued. "It left him drained."

"Well, of course he and every other participant would be drained," the black-haired musician commented, rolling her eyes.

"No, you don't understand," Griffin continued. "Valtor did that on his own. Valtor possesses a dragonflame, which has grown strong over his many years of training. It allows him to wield an amount of magical energy many times greater than a normal magi. Bloom in her current state isn't even close to his level."

The two faeries looked very much disturbed by that revelation.

"Now, help me get out. Bloom is in grave danger," Griffin continued. "And I cannot use my magic inside this cell."

"Well, I cannot help here. This place is outside my control," Discordia pointed out.

"I might be able to do something," Aisha said as she pulled a flask of water from her backpack. "Let's see." Magically, she guided the water into the prison's lock and began concentrating. Slowly, the metal warped, before being torn apart by the forcibly expanding liquid.

"Now let's get moving," Griffin said as she hurried out. "Discordia, lead the way. We must come to Bloom's aid."

"At once, headmistress," the pixie said.

The group hurried up the stone steps to the base of the tower, which Discordia immediately began opening up for them, leading them up secret stairs and through unused rooms. Soon, they entered the actual hallways of the school, where they could hear the sound of combat.

"Sounds intense," Musa commented. "And from nearby too. Wait." She concentrated. "There's something weird about those sounds. I don't think Bloom's involved."  
"Then let's check it out," Discordia suggested and the group ran around a corner, entering the cafeteria just in time to see a controlled witch be slammed against a wall.

A large group consisting of Stella, Flora, Faragonda, Griselda, Avalon, Saladin, Cordatorta, Knut and Belisma had invaded Cloud Tower's cafeteria and disabled the witches that had been gathered there.

"Guinevere," Faragonda said, relieved as she noticed her old friend. "I'm happy to see that you're free again."

"I can only assume you found out about Bloom," Griffin noted.

"What were you thinking?" Flora frustratedly asked, as she marched over to Musa and Aisha. "Of all the reckless things you have done, this is the worst. Techna deserves better than having her sacrifice wasted on a futile revenge plot."

"Wasted? And what about the next time somebody dies because of Valtor's rampage?" Musa angrily asked. "How much nothing are we going to do before we take action, huh?"

"Sweet Dragon, tell me I am not actually hearing this," Flora mumbled, as she buried her face in her hands.

The tower rumbled as a powerful wave of magic was released, only for a second source of energy to clash with it.

"I suggest we save the finger pointing until we aren't in the middle of a rescue mission," Cordatorta barked.

...

"You seem surprised, Bloom," Valtor stated, as he stepped closer.

Daphne floated by the side of the office's wall, desperately wringing her hands. "Please don't hurt her."

"I am not going to hurt her," the dandy magi said, in an annoyed tone that indicated that he had given the same response a dozen times before. "I'm just taking a moment to enjoy rendering her speechless." He paused. "No, wait, that's the magic. Let me fix that."

He concentrated for a brief second and Bloom was able to move her jaw again, the muscles sore from the rough treatment. "How did you get a dragonflame?" she angrily asked. "Where did you take it from?"

"Yeah, I figured you'd think that," Valtor commented. "That I took it. See, Daphne here has kinda kept you out of the loop. Not that I approve of that," he noted, sending the ghost a displeased look out of the corner of his eye.

"This has nothing to do with Bloom," Daphne insisted. "We wanted to keep her out of it."

"On the contrary, Daphne, this has everything to do with Bloom," the sorcerer insisted, as he took a couple of steps away from Bloom. "You, Faragonda, Griffin. All of you have kept her in the dark." He turned towards Bloom again. "Perhaps it's time I make a proper introduction. I usually just go by Valtor, followed by a couple of threatening epithets. Gets the job done more often than not. But for you, dear Bloom, I'll give my full identity." He made a dramatic bow. "I am Valtor Kadmos, heir to the throne of Domino." He paused, waiting as Bloom became several shades paler. "Surprised? I imagine you thought you were the heir. They certainly wanted it to be that way."

Bloom shifted her glance to Daphne, hoping it was some sick joke on Valtor's part. She hoped her sister would protest his claim. But the ghost just hovered in silence, looking away with a pained look. "Ho-how?" the redhead managed to ask.

"It's quite simple, really," Valtor continued, as he sat down on his ashen desk. "We're siblings. All three of us." He paused. "Half-siblings, in your case. Daphne and I have a different mother than you. But we share our father and I happen to be the firstborn." He scowled. "But people have done much to erase that fact. Nobody wants to think of me as the true heir. So, they just swept that under the carpet. I imagine they were overjoyed when you showed up." His features softened. "I certainly was. I thought you died in the chaos on Domino. Turns out that it was just Daphne who had sent you away."

"The chaos you created," Bloom hissed. "Why? Why did you destroy Domino?"

"Valtor, please, this is not the time," Daphne tried again. "Just let her go."

"As much as I would love to, Phila here has proven herself to be determined to get in my way," Valtor commented, annoyed. "This is, what, the second time you and your friends have broken in here. Plus the attack on Andros. Frankly, it is becoming bothersome. But I won't harm you, Bloom. I have no reason to do so. I will simply put you to sleep until this is all over. I only have a few more errands to run before I'll leave Cloud Tower behind. And then, I'll be out of your hair again. And as for your question, you're presuming the curse over Domino was supposed to be permanent. It wasn't. But things happened and now I have to deal with the rest of the intruders you dragged with you. So I will have to save story time for later." He stepped closer as he prepared to place his mark.

"Daphne, help," Bloom pleaded as she fought to move.  
"Brother, this isn't necessary," the ghost begged.

"We've both had to sleep through a lot of years," Valtor said, as he raised his hand. "I doubt it will do any great harm for her to miss a month or two."

As he was about to touch her, two things happened. First, a great hole opened in the wall, which caused Valtor to pause. Secondly, Knut came charging out of said hole, smashing shoulder first into Valtor with enough force to shatter all of his ribs. The dandy sorcerer flew through the room and collided against the opposite wall with a meaty thwack.

Immediately Bloom's muscles relaxed and she fell to the floor in a pile. She looked up in shock at the massive flock of people that had come to her rescue. "You... You all..." she began.

"Save the thanks for later. We're not out of trouble just yet," Griffin stated.

Valtor forced himself up again, his bones cracking as they realigned and fused. "Alright," he began. That was..." The wind was knocked out of him as he was simultaneously penetrated by one of Saladin's iron spears and had his face caved in by one of Griselda's rocks. He briefly stumbled, before the metal weapon was forcibly ejected from his torso and his face re-assumed its original shape. "Stop that or I'll..." His head exploded as Belisma fired her rifle. Valtor fell to his knees, half of his head gone, were after a powerful barrier manifested around him. Slowly, the stumps of his head flew together, reforming it. "That's it," he said in a low hiss as the dragonflame began surging through him. "This ends NOW!" The barrier exploded outwards and the group was hurled back. The entirety of the building began undulating, walls and floors melting away as all of Cloud Tower went berserk. Dozens of mind-controlled witches began streaming in to assist their master.

Knut stormed forward, swing his massive fist to take out Valtor again, but the well-dressed magi caught his hand. The ogre found himself caught completely off guard as Valtor's muscles bulged with magical power and Knut found himself hoisted in the air. With a yell, he was hurled through the room and smashed through a wall.

Immediately afterwards, Valtor found himself under attack by both Avalon and Cordatorta. The paladin swung his blade and struck the sorcerer on the arm, doing nothing but nicking the now titanium-hard skin. Cordatorta stabbed his two-pronged spear at him, but Valtor caught it and snapped it in half with one hand. Then he spun, swinging his fist at Avalon. The paladin held up his shield and felt the bones in his arm fracture as the attack hit. He was flung several meters back and tripped on the undulating floor. Then Valtor threw another punch at Cordatorta, who wisely pulled back to avoid the dragonflame empowered blow.

Faragonda lifted her hand and several witches were hurled into the air. "Discorda. How are you feeling?"

"I'm really... Really trying... Hard to... Keep the tower... From... Attacking..." the pixie struggled to say, holding her staff aloft. "Cannot... Keep this up... For much... Longer."

"Then we need to think of making an exit," Griffin stated, blowing away her two transformed colleagues with a powerful wind.

"What about Valtor?" Stella asked.

Griselda flew through the air and smashed into a bookshelf, having just been thrown away by the sorcerer. The furious sorcerer's clothes had becomes torn and ragged from the dozens of hits he had taken, but beneath it was nothing but flawless skin. His head jerked back as Belisma fired again. The bullet pinged against the floor, having bounced off the magi's forehead.

"Alright, that is totally a problem," the Solarian blonde admitted.

"The only reason you lot could defeat me last time was that you ambushed me after I spent all of my energy," Valtor announced. "But now, I am even stronger than before. Perhaps I ought to give you a taste of what I've become able to do."

As Belisma reloaded her weapon and got ready to aim again, she suddenly found herself covered an inky darkness. "Where... Where is he?" she asked as she tried to aim. "Can I get some help here? I kinda can't see anything."

"Darkness. Got that from a troglodyte city," Valtor explained. He dodged under one of Knut's blows, before planting his elbow in the ogre's side, cracking a rib.

Musa concentrated, launching a wave of sound at the dandy sorcerer.

He held up his hand and the wave ceased to be. "Silence. An ogre tribe from Pyros had that in their possession."

Faragonda concentrated and tried to push the magi back with a powerful wave of gravity.

Valtor concentrated and the headmistress of Alfea was smashed into the wall behind her as the gravitational push quite suddenly turned on her. "And from Oppositus on Harmony, opposition," he said. "And I got more. I have so many different shades in me now that I can barely decide which ones to use." He stomped forwards as more and more of his minions flooded into the room. The intruding group found themselves outnumbered at least five to one. Even though most of the witches were not particularly powerful, the sheer number of them began forcing the invaders on the defensive.

Bloom flung fireball after fireball, trying to hit something hostile as the structure of Cloud Tower slowly took the form of an abstract painting. It was a dizzying and confusing experience that left her hardly able to aim. She turned, gasping as she realised that her half-brother stood before her.

"Now," he said as he raised his hand. "Let us finish this."

Suddenly, the golden form of Daphne manifested between the two. "Don't," she begged. "Just let her go. You don't have to involve her in this."

"I didn't," Valtor remarked, anger seething beneath his voice. "She involved herself."  
"You can let her go, brother. There's no reason to do this."  
"Really? No reason? Have you forgotten why you died?" the dandy sorcerer asked. "Have you forgotten her part in it?"

"That is not her fault," Daphne pleaded. "Valtor, you don't have to continue to do this. Just let them go home."

Valtor seemed to pause as he considered it.

Bloom grabbed the chance and let loose. Her intangible sister suffered no damage as the dragonflame embowered inferno streamed through her, but Valtor was caught by surprise. He stumbled back as he hardened himself against the fire. Only to realise that there was nothing to stand on.

The unstable floor of the room had become thin due to Cloud Tower's constant shifting and Bloom's fire had burned the rest away. Valtor swung his arms like windmills as gravity took hold and he fell three stories down with yell. A resounding crash could be heard as furniture was smashed upon his impact.

"Blo-Bloom!?" Daphne asked, as she turned towards her half-sibling with an expression of pure shock and horror. "Why did you do that!? He was listening to me!"

The redhead didn't respond. Instead she focused on listening.

"PHILA!" sounded Valtor's furious roar.

"We better leave now," Saladin insisted. "Discorda, an exit. Now!"

"O... Okay," the pixie gasped and concentrated. The office had been placed at the edge of the tower and the pixie used the staff to force the wall open, revealing the outside.

"Let's get out of here," Griffin insisted as she blew back more witch minions with her magic.

"We'll talk later," Bloom sternly said to her undead sister, before running to the open hole with the others.

Faragonda raised her arms and concentrated, holding all of them in bubble of gravity. "DISCORDA!" she yelled. "GET OUT, NOW!"

"I... I can't," the pixie said. "I can't... Abandon the... The tower..."

The edges of the hole slowly began closing as the pixie lost strength.

"Just get out of there!" Flora called.

With a final gasp, the pixie let go of the staff and fell to the floor. The hole in the tower closed and immediately grew long tentacles and hands. They reached out towards the group, but Faragonda pushed back, sending them all away from the tower.

Inside the office, Discorda gasped as she lay on the floor, feeling completely drained. She didn't even protest when something grabbed her wings and pulled her up.

Valtor stared at the pixie. He slowly placed a finger on her head and sent her into a coma. "Take her away," he ordered Cloud Tower, and a long tentacle snatched the pixie. Then he marched over to what remained of the office chair and sat down in it.

In a corner, Daphne watched her brother's barely contained fury. Sadness filled her eyes as she faded away again.

...

"Why didn't you tell me?" Bloom angrily asked.

After having safely touched down in the forest, the group had gone back to Alfea to recuperate. Several of them had to go to the healer with various wounds and many more of them were just completely tired.

"Bloom," Faragonda began. She had called the redhead to her office, figuring she'd want to talk. Her anger had not been entirely unexpected. "The issue with Valtor is... How do I explain? It is a complicated issue. It is a very old wound for many of us. Me, Daphne, Griffin. We've all been deeply affected by what happened back then. I cannot speak for the others, but I felt that you deserved to be free of that. Not only because I did not want to burden you with your kingdom's past issues, especially considering how much you have yet to learn. But also because of everything that has happened since you arrived here on Alfea. Bloom, you deserved to be free from this crisis. If you knew of his involvement, how close he was to you and Daphne, I feared you would involve yourself." She exhaled. "But despite my wishes, you have been involved again and again, either through unfortunate circumstances or just your own desire." She paused. "I did not mean to deceive you, Bloom. I just wanted to protect you."  
Bloom still looked angry. "Is there anything else I haven't been told?"

"The details of what exactly happened in your family seventeen years ago," Faragonda answered. "But Daphne will be much better suited to explain that. There's simply too much that I do not know."  
"Fine," the redhead responded. She sighed and asked: "So, what now? I cannot just return to my everyday life. Not after what I've learned."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Faragonda commented sadly. "Bloom, Valtor has years of experience in controlling the dragonflame. Few magi could stand toe to toe with him. Even without the dozens of dragonshades he has absorbed, his own natural knack gives him a tremendous advantage."  
"Then I need a way to counter that," Bloom insisted. "I am not going to sit idly by while he wreaks havoc. I'm done with that. And if you don't want to help me, I'll find a way myself."

Faragonda was silent for a while. Then she sighed. "Once more, I find myself powerless to keep you out of harm's way," she said softly. "Very well. I cannot dissuade you. What you need is someone who can teach you in the use of the dragonflame. That is not something we can offer on Alfea. Only somebody who themselves have experienced its power can give you that insight."  
"What about Daphne?"

"Daphne is a ghost. And as such, every use of her energy pushes her closer to her final death," Faragonda said. "You will need to see and experience a dragonflame in use. Daphne cannot provide that. And there's nobody else in your family we can turn to. No, we must look elsewhere. I happen to know that the Dragonsoul ogre tribe has a number of dragonflame carriers. I myself am an acquaintance of their leader, Maia."

"And where can I find her?" Bloom inquired.

"On the ogres' home planet. Pyros," Faragonda said. "Another planet that orbits Marigold, like Omega and Limphea. It is known both as the Burning Planet and the Dragon Moon. Going there will be dangerous. But if you truly wish to learn to master your own flame, I will send word to them. But you risk not coming back."  
Bloom was silent for a while. "I am willing to go."

"Very well. But I will not allow you to drag your friends into this," the headmistress sternly informed her. "They've been through enough. I will ask Saladin to provide you with an escort. Is that understood?"  
"Yes," Bloom said. She stared at her hand for a moment, feeling her magic rush through it. Then she clenched it, taking a deep breath.

...

"You're the crown prince? Of Domino?" Stormy repeated in shock.

"That is what I said, yes," Valtor remarked. Repairing his clothes and putting the tower back in order had done a lot to restore his usually calm mood.  
"Why didn't you tell us?" Darcy asked.

"Because it mattered little at the time. The nobles of my kingdom refuse to acknowledge that I ever existed," he explained. "Occasionally, they may speak of the former crown prince, but the way they talk you'd think we were different people. It's practically become a social faux pas to remind people that I am the rightful heir. Also, Domino is currently uninhabitable, which also limits the importance of my title."

"Wow. That's... Harsh," Stormy said sympathetically.

"Yes. But I'll show them," Valtor rumbled. "Once I have enough power, I'll lift the curse. Then they'll all come crawling back, begging me to take them back in and restore them to their old positions. Suddenly, bygones will be bygones. And I will enjoy every second of it." He paused. "And you three will be rewarded for assisting me, of course. Another reason why I kept this secret was that I needed to make sure I could trust you. Trust is a valuable commodity after all. But I have faith in you three."  
"Tha-thanks," Stormy said, surprise evident in her voice. "That's good to hear."  
"You'd think with how much my family long for Domino they would have mentioned you," Icy said annoyed. "Oh well, they'll be happy once I help get them their old position back. They seem to miss the place a lot."

"But what is our next step?" Darcy asked. "How much magic do you need?"

"Hard to say. I could reverse the spell now, bringing Domino back as it once was," Valtor said. "That is, if all I had to do was to reverse the ritual. But I actually went back to my homeland on one of my trips. Something has changed about the curse. And I am not sure I am able to fix that yet. Not to mention that I'll need enough power to take the throne. There are those who would violently object to that and I will need more magic to secure my dominance."

"And what about Bloom? Or Phila or whatever her name is?" Icy said disdainfully. "She's the official heir, isn't she?"

"Only on a technicality," Valtor explained. "I was never declared unfit to rule. A full council was never assembled due to the curse pretty much ripping the noble lines apart. But if I had been banished permanently, well, then the next in line would get the position. Daphne was dead and Bloom was missing until a couple of years ago, which meant that she got to be the heir. But now that I am back, the only way they can really take my title is to gather a full council. And even then, modern rules say that I have to be evaluated by professional psychologists. Which won't happen as long as I'm free. So right now, they're just trying to keep quiet about it, hoping that nobody notices." He paused. "As for Bloom, I was satisfied with leaving my sister be. But she has interfered time and time again. And that is unacceptable and must be dealt with, no matter what Daphne thinks."

"Maybe she has learnt her lesson," Stormy suggested. "Maybe she's had enough."  
"Do you really believe that?" Darcy dryly inquired.

"Maybe. But just in case, I need to get some feelers out there, so to speak," Valtor said, as he turned towards the mirror on the wall. With a mental command, the surface flickered and soon formed a face. "Ah, there you are. I need you to use your contacts. Find out what Bloom is up to. Where she's going, whom she's with, those sort of things. If she does anything unusual, even the slightest deviation from the norm, report back to me immediately. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my lord," Sky passively replied.


	15. The Inner Dragon

Chapter 15: The Inner Dragon

Stella, Aisha and Musa sat in the common room, looks of concern etched into their faces. Outside, it was dark and snow pelted the windows. It had been a couple of days since the failed invasion of Cloud Tower, days mostly spent recuperating. That is, until the girls suddenly couldn't find Bloom anywhere.

The door to the common room opened and Flora stepped in.

"Well?" Musa asked. "Did Faragonda know where she's gone?"

"Yes. Bloom has left Alfea for the time being," the brunette responded.

The faeries exchanged looks. "Why?" Stella asked. "And, like, where has she gone?"

"To the planet of Pyros," Flora explained, as she sat down in the sofa. "She has gone to seek out the Dragonsoul ogre tribe, hoping that they can teach her how to empower her dragonflame."  
"And she left without saying anything?" Musa questioned, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"That was Faragonda's decision," the Limphean noble elaborated. "Apparently, she was concerned that if we knew, we would try to get in on the trip. Pyros is a dangerous planet and Bloom will be at considerable risk during her trip."

"Considering our past actions, I do suppose there's reason for her worry," Aisha said. "But surely she hasn't sent Bloom alone?"

"No. Knut and Belisma from Red Fountain have gone with her," came Flora's response. "But even so, Pyros is dangerous. It is not known as the Dragon Moon without reason."

"So, what are we to do?" Stella asked. "I mean, like, what can we do? Can we even become strong enough to kick Valtor's butt? You all saw how he beat up everyone else."

"Nobody is invincible. But I agree that even if we were to get stronger, we would probably still come up short in a direct confrontation with Valtor," Flora mused. "But do remember how powerful Darkar was. A living embodiment of both the dragonflame and dragonshade. Despite that, even he was defeated in the end."

"You've got a point," Musa said. "The problem is just figuring out what his weakness is."

"Even if there is a weakness to be found, we should probably try to become better at what we do" Aisha said. "Even though I've regained my sight, I've still worked hard to become better at sensing things with my magic."

"And I have considered taking classes at Red Fountain to brush up on my knowledge of armed combat," Flora said. "Especially with my sister's very thoughtful gift."

"Yeah. We should all try to find ways to become stronger," Musa agreed. "It's just, you know, figuring out the how and when of it."

"Speak for yourself. I'm, like, still trying to become as totally awesome as I was with my staff," Stella said.

"But to return to the subject of Bloom, could she go toe to toe with Valtor if her flame was strengthened?" Musa questioned.

"Faragonda was doubtful," Flora said. "And she would obviously prefer if Bloom stopped trying to take Valtor down. As would I," she remarked, a tinge of sharpness in her tone. "Bloom only survived because her brother did not decide to just kill her."

"It's really crazy to think about," Stella said. "The whole him being her brother thing. How do you deal with being related to someone like that?"

"The same way the two of us deal with being related to Chimera," Musa commented.

"Okay. Point," the blonde replied.

"It does change things, doesn't it?" Aisha brought up.

"How does that change anything?" Musa asked

"Well, Valtor is not just some random magi anymore. He's family," the brunette explained. "That has to mean something."

"Ehm, no," Musa replied. "He joined up with the Coven, froze Domino and nearly blew up Andros, which ended up killing Techna. We're still going to walk all over him the moment we can. Weren't you pissed about what he did to Andros?"

"Ehm... 'Pissed' is probably too strong of a word to use," Aisha tried. "But I certainly recognised the need to stop Valtor permanently. Whether through force or diplomacy is irrelevant as long as his rampage is ended."

"Oh yeah, because that guy seems like somebody who wants to listen to reason," the black-haired musician snorted.

"He was listening to Daphne," Stella pointed out.

"Oh yeah. Miss 'Not Going to Explain Anything'. She sent us into danger on Andros just so she could talk with her brother. She knew from the start, yet deliberately kept us in the dark." Musa folded her arms. "How do we even know she's not working with him?"

"I would definitely like to hear her version of the story," Flora said. "But that will have to wait. I doubt we can call on her like Bloom can."

Stella yawned and said: "Well, with that settled, I'll, like, go to bed now. I have classes early tomorrow."

...

Pyros was quite the planet. Tectonically unstable on 60% of its landmass, it suffered from daily volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. All life on it had adapted to the dangerous living conditions and produced lifeforms tough enough to compare with the ones of Limphea. Truly big cities were rare and scattered, with little infrastructure to connect them besides their satellite network. It was for that reason that Bloom, Knut and Belisma had to make their journey from the city of Solaire to the home of the Dragonsoul tribe on foot.

The harsh land was covered with rough vegetation and the air was filled with the distant screaming of predators, which made the redhead quite wary.

"Ah, it's good to be home," Knut said jovially as he marched, making sure to not accidentally leave his companions behind. "I've thought of going home for a while, but training the scamps at Red Fountain has taken up so much of my time."

"It is quite the planet," Belisma said, constantly scouting the horizon for potential threats. "Anything in specific we should be careful about around here?"

"Hmm, hard to say. My own tribe lives far away from here," Knut commented. "We had some contact with the Dragonsoul ogres, but I wouldn't call myself an expert on the area. So we best get to their home before we run into anything." He paused. "Or before anything runs into us."

A distant rumbling could be heard and the ground beneath their feet vibrated.

"Is-is that a problem?" Bloom nervously asked.

"Nah, small earthquake. You get used to it," the ogre reassured her.

The group continued their trek, the distant sun slowly setting. The grass became short and yellowish, the monotony only broken by large boulders that had apparently been hurled there by volcanic activity.

"Nightfall approaches," Belisma commented. "We best seek shelter for the night."

"There's some cliffs behind that forest," Knut said and pointed ahead at said landmarks. "Tribes usually dig out caves in them for exactly these sorts of situations. We might have to kick out a couple of animals, but other than..." He stopped and began sniffing. His muscles tensed as he spun around. He stared at one of the rocks, before quietly ordering: "Start moving. Now."

Bloom had no idea what had set off the ogre, but she knew better than to question it. She and Belisma began slowly moving towards the forest, keeping an eye on the shady rocks.

Suddenly, one of them shook before unfurling. Large wings spread out to reveal a stocky muscular body covered in craggy scales that helped camouflage it. It was a dragon of sorts. Its front limps quite larger than its hind legs, giving it a gorilla-esque build. Two other rocks also unfurled and the three predators began slowly moving in on them, trying to gage the level of threat their prey posed.

Knut growled as he stepped back, trying to keep all three of the dragons in his sight. He slightly turned to the two others and whispered: "When I say run, we move."

Bloom and Belisma nodded, eyes on the beasts.

With a sudden movement, Knut lashed out with his leg and kicked a rock at the three predators, causing the dragons to jump back in shock and surprise. "RUN!"

The three of them dashed towards the woods. It took the dragons a few seconds to realise that the ogre had kicked a harmless rock at them, before they roared and charged after the three. One of them set off into the air with a couple of beats of its mighty wings. It opened its mouth and blasted a fireball at the fleeing trio.

Belisma could feel the heat wash over her as the fireball collided with the ground not far behind them. The now flying dragon roared in dissatisfaction at having missed its target. The elven sniper grabbed the opportunity, turning and drawing her rifle in one smooth movement. She fired her weapon and it tore through the wing of the surprised dragon. It lost momentum, briefly stunned by pain and shock, and then it lost altitude. It desperately flapped its wings to regain flight, but collided roughly with the ground before it could do so. Its pack mates came to a temporary halt, so as to avoid crashing into the crashed dragon.

"Good shot," Knut said impressed as the three charged into the woods.

"Thanks," Belisma replied.

"Are... Are we safe now?" Bloom inquired as they kept running. Her sides had begun aching from the exercise.

Behind them, a fireball detonated, lighting up the night. The sound of cracking woods could be heard as the three dragons barged through the woods.

"Not yet," the ogre grunted.

The three of them hurried onwards, jumping over fallen logs and weaving in between trees, as the dragons did their best to pursue them through the thicket. The trio burst out on the other side. A small lake was all that separated them from the cliff area.

"There's a cave! Keep running!" Knut sharply ordered, as they began running along the lake coast. "Hopefully, having them smash their way through the thicket will buy us time."

They had almost reached the cliffs when the dragons burst through the woods, angry at their preys' constant attempts at not being eaten. The wounded one growled angrily as its two pack mates set of and flew across the lake, not entirely convinced that they would leave anything for it.

"Oh dear. They are quite persistent," Belisma noted as she saw the two dragons close in. Their emerald-green eyes were blazing in the encroaching night.

One of them roared and spat another fireball. Bloom stopped and concentrated. She grunted as she took control of the flames and directed it back. It smashed into the lake and exploded with a hiss into a mass of steam. The two dragons stopped as they were temporarily blinded by the cloud.  
"Good work, kiddo," Knut grunted satisfied as the three made the final run to the cave. They hurried as far into the cavern as they could and stopped. Outside, they could hear the hungry dragons growl and roar as they scratched as the cave's entrance. But they were well aware that they would only barely be able to squeeze through, which was too risky. Dissatisfied, they ran off to find less bothersome prey.

"Okay. Rest now, please," Bloom begged.

"Excellent idea," Belisma said as she unpacked a lamp. "But first, dinner."

"What do we have?" Knut asked eagerly.

"Military field rations," the elven sharpshooter reported excitedly.

The ogre sighed. While Belisma was an excellent cook, not even she could make military field rations exciting.

...

Timmy put the last of the clothes he would need in the bag. He stopped, taking stock of his luggage. He wanted to be comprehensive, but not overburdened. He definitely needed his electronics and he had brought everything essential for his personal hygiene. He shrugged. Meals would be provided and he would still have access to the internet, so neither food nor entertainment was a concern. He concluded that he had what he needed and zipped the final bag shut.

Somebody knocked on his door and the bespectacled soldier hurried up to see who it was. "Headmaster Saladin," he stated, quite obviously surprised, as he opened the door. "What can I do for you?"

"Ah, Timmy Olsen," the warlock said. "I just received the notice that you're spending all of your allotted vacation time. As you might understand, that caused some concern, especially considering recent events."

"Yeah. I figured it would," Timmy admitted. He sighed. "I've been spending a lot of time thinking. I don't know if I'm quite ready to move on, but that just needs time. But that is not why I asked for vacation, sir."  
Saladin patiently awaited his explanation.

"See, my family has connections. And it was through those connections that I heard that the realms of Andros have organised a scientific expedition to the former site of the Omega portal. They want to ensure that the danger has truly passed and not just been delayed. I decided that if nothing else, I want to make sure Techna's sacrifice was not in vain. So I offered my programming expertise and they accepted."

"Forgive my curiosity, but how will programming help?" Saladin inquired, while rubbing his chin.

"Models, sir," Timmy responded. "They plan on collecting a lot of data over a longer period of time. I am to help design programs that can make predictions based on said data."

"Well, I cannot say this does not sound like a good cause. Very well then, I consider my concerns put to rest," the warlock said. "Have a nice trip. And please, do contact me when you get back. I'm very curious to hear about what you manage to find."

He turned around to leave, but stopped when Timmy asked: "By the way, sir, I heard Helia is coming back to Red Fountain. Is that true?"

"Well, not to join us. Just to stay with me," the warlock answered, slight disappointment evident in his voice. "He's been with a touring gallery on Harmony, exhibiting some of his art. I gather that it was quite the success." He sighed. "At least he is happy, I suppose."  
"Indeed. Have a good day, sir," Timmy said and closed the door.

...

"Bloom has disappeared?" Valtor questioned, one eyebrow raised.

"Yes. Faragonda has refused to comment to anybody where she is," Sky reported, his voice completely neutral. "At least, to anybody involved with noble society."  
"Probably worried that they'd interfere," Darcy said. "I hear that Bloom's involvement in recent incidents has started some petitions to have Faragonda's guardianship removed. They're quite afraid what will happen if she dies without having a child first."

"They'd have to come to me. Something they fear more than anything," Valtor commented. "Sky, I want you to continue..." He stopped and his eyes bugged out. He grunted as he held his stomach and fell to his knees.

"VALTOR!" Stormy yelled, and rushed over to him. "Are you okay? What's happening? Are you wounded anywhere?"  
"Give me... Give me a moment," the sorcerer insisted, his breathing heavy. "Sky, try to... Try to get some info from the other students."

"As you wish, my lord," the blond prince said, before disappearing from the surface.

Valtor was still breathing heavily, slowly forcing himself to stand up again.

"What just happened?" Darcy inquired.  
"It's the shades," the dandy magi explained, as he managed to compose himself. "I'm reaching my limit. Pushing my body to the brink to contain them. They constantly conflict and interfere with each other. It makes it harder and harder to keep them under control. If I add more dragonshades to the mass, I risk tearing myself apart."  
"So, what, no more shades?" Icy inquired.

Valtor clenched his fist as he slowly reasserted control of his body. "No, there are ways to combat this issue. I was prepared for this eventuality, so I've made sure to investigate possible solutions. But to be honest, I did not expect to need them this soon." He took a deep breath, a glimmer of annoyance in his eyes. "But I am no fool. This is a clear indicator that I must take precautions." He stretched his limbs. "I will go to the realm of Ohm on Harmony. Like Oppositus, they have a magical artefact that helps maintain a large network of enchantments. The Wind Chime of Inner Peace."

"How pretentious," Icy scoffed.

"Maybe. But it contains a dragonshade governing balance," Valtor continued. "If I absorb it, I can use it to force the dragonshades into harmony with each other."

"And then you will be able to absorb more shades?" Darcy inquired.

"I think so, yes," Valtor confirmed. "But if not, I have other options." He raised his hands and tore open a portal between dimensions. "Take care of Cloud Tower while I'm gone."

...

Bloom had barely managed to catch a single moment of sleep. The frequent rumblings in the ground and far off roars of dragons kept her wide awake for most of the night. Knut and Belisma had split up the guard duty between them and somehow managed to sleep like rocks when they weren't keeping watch. Bloom had no idea how they did it. The hard floor of the cave wasn't much of a help either. Her sleeping bag did little to soften the feeling of stone against her body. For hours she lay, tossing and turning, trying to somehow fall asleep before complete exhaustion did the job for her.

She felt like she had barely managed to close her eyes when Knut gently shook her shoulder. Well, relatively gently. It was still rough enough to instantly rip Bloom out of her dreams. "I'm-I'm awake," she said, as the ogre let go. "Just... Can I get... An hour or two more?"

"Sorry, sleeping in will have to wait until we reach the tribe," Knut said. "For now, staying here is too risky."  
"I 'spose," the redhead groggily replied, as she slowly dragged herself out of the sleeping bag. Her hair was messy, her limbs sore and she could smell her own sweat. But there was little luxury to be found in the wilds of Pyros. She just hoped the Dragonsoul tribe knew what a bath was.

"Knut. We got somebody incoming," Belisma said from her position at the cave's mouth. "Seems to be an ogre. Female, I'd guess."

"Solitary?" Knut inquired as he walked up to her.

"As far as I can see, yes. And walking out in the open."

"Unusual. Not a hunter then, unless she's still far away from the hunting grounds. Scout, possibly. I'd wager that she _wants_ to be seen though," Knut said, as he stepped out of the cave. "Maybe even looking for us." He waved his massive arms, trying to get the far away ogre's attention. She in turn started waving her arm too as she noticed them and changed course towards the cavern.

A few minutes later, she arrived. Like most ogres, she was huge, towering over Bloom with a massive, muscular bulk. Her skin was a slightly darker complexion, more reminiscent of dirt than sand. Her attire was simple but functional, matching her skin-colour for extra camouflage. Around her neck she wore an amulet, its metal surface depicting a simplistic dragon in a triangle.

"Looking for somebody?" Knut started by asking.

"Yeah. You if I'm not mistaken," the other ogre grunted. "One redhead, one short elf and an ogre. Is that Bloom?" She indicated the Dominian princess with her thumb.

"Yep."  
"Good. We were starting to wonder why you were taking so long."

"Dragons," Knut stated.

"Figures." came the reply.

And then the two ogres started walking.

"I guess that was a conversation." Belisma shrugged and followed the two along with Bloom.

They walked for a couple of minutes in silence.

"Sooo... What's your name?" Bloom asked.

"Gerda," grunted the ogre. "So, you've come to learn how to use your dragonflame from Maia? That's no small thing you ask for."

"Well, maybe." Bloom wasn't sure how to respond. "But I'm willing to give it a shot."

The ogre scout answered with a snort.

They wandered in silence for a little while longer.

"So where exactly does the Dragonsoul tribe currently live?" Belisma inquired. "I gather from Knut here that most tribes move around a lot."

"We don't have to move," said Gerda. "The great Firetop Mountain protects us."  
"Firetop Mountain?" Bloom nervously asked.

"A sacred mountain. It has protected us for generations," Gerda grunted. "But first we have to get through the Stickleberry Wilds and then pass through the Great Tar Lakes. We'll probably not get to Firetop before nightfall."

"Those names sound ever so inviting," Bloom mumbled. "Don't you have any nice sounding places?"

"Those _are_ the nice sounding places," Knut said. "Or maybe you'd rather go to Death by Dragon Canyon, the Desert of Dried Corpses or Vicious Predator Beach."

"Ogres name things very directly." Belisma mused.

"What? You'd rather we call it Red Canyon and then add a little warning underneath on the map?" Gerda asked, as if the very idea was ridiculous.

...

Ohm was Oppositus' opposite and the residents of the latter were very proud that they managed to make their entire realm contrast with another. The residents of the former just wished Oppositus didn't have such tasteless borders.

Ohm was founded on the principle of harmony and everything was made in an attempt to fit with one another. The location of everything was planned to minimize its stressful impact on its citizens' everyday routine. Buildings were painted in colours meant to complement each other and help spread a calming mood. The streets often had hidden loudspeakers that played soothing music or sound effects. Everything was done to make sure that its citizens were at peace with both themselves and their surroundings. As a result, their government was rather slow, as they always had to take into account how their changes would affect everyone. They also had one of the highest approval ratings on Harmony. They were sometimes taken for pacifists, but that was far from true. Their guards and military were just incredibly restrained, with a focus on minimizing and de-escalating any conflict they were to become part of.

Valtor found himself enjoying the place a lot more than Oppositus. Was it not for his fugitive status and impending death by internal explosion, he would probably have taken a couple of days off just to enjoy the realm. It wasn't perfect, of course. Some of the songs played were a bit too dull, he'd never been a big fan of ponchos, being a fengshui consultant was a ridiculously well-paid job and they had a serious bird problem. Little was done to keep their population in check and therefore they had slowly reached pest status. But the dandy magi could also see a lot of positives. He certainly admired how the government had attempted to fuse their ideals with practical reality, rather than in Oppositus where vision had trumped common sense.

Still, his approval of the realm would not stop him from acquiring the dragonshade within Wind Chime of Inner Peace. He figured that a little extra work maintaining the realm was a small price to pay to avoid having him blow up like fireworks.

The thought made him briefly think of the portal incident. He sighed, then scowled as he remembered his sister's accusations. Didn't she realize that there truly was little he could do? Nobody would accept an attempt at reparation from him and there was no way he would risk being sent to Omega by turning himself in. His own feelings on the subject mattered little, as there were no choices to be made. He just had to move on and try to avoid creating similar disasters in the future.

His stomach cramped and he steadied himself against a street-lamp. Speaking of avoiding disasters, he had to hurry and find the dragonshade.

The Wind Chime of Inner Peace was housed in Unity Park, making it available for anyone to see. It was a great, green spot in the middle of the city, with lots of loving and tender care invested in it. It was quite the piece of botanical art.

In the middle of the park was a large, square fountain, which displayed dozens of statues, all of them demonstrating different virtues. The chime itself hung from a pole suspended above the waters. It seemed like it was made of glass, with hues corresponding to every single colour in the rainbow, yet it never seemed to clash. No matter where it was viewed from, the chime just seemed to balance out, making it a beautiful piece of art even without the dragonshade that rested within it.

Valtor stood before the fountain and briefly considered if he should just wade out into the waters. It struck him as being a bit too easy.

He closed his eyes, allowing his magic to sharpen his other senses. Slowly, new sounds came into play. Some of them were just noises from far away that became clearer. But in-between it all, Valtor detected other sounds. Carefully controlled breathing. The almost silent beating of several hearts.

"You're very subtle," the dandy magi noted out loud. "I almost fell for it. But now that I've noticed your presence, what do you say? Shall we cut the hide and seek?"

Four soft thumps could be heard and Valtor turned around, a smug smile on his lips. Four leprechauns had dropped out of the trees. They were clad in uniforms that allowed them to blend in with the leaves and fruits of their hidden guard posts. Slowly, they drew their weapons and began closing in on the well-dressed magi.

"We know who you are," one said, voice slightly muffled from the cloth that almost completely covered his face. "But we shall not let you steal our treasure like you have stolen others'."

"How about I borrow it then?" Valtor inquired.

He took the fact that one of the leprechauns dashed towards him as a no. The leprechaun moved with amazing speed and precision, built up through years of practice and training. A normal intruder would stand little change.

But Valtor was far from normal. His body quickly changed and his perception of time slowed. The blurry shape of the attacking guard became almost a still picture, allowing Valtor to easily predict his attack and plan his own counter-move.

The blade was swung towards him, aiming to cut his leg open, but Valtor jumped over the swing. The leprechaun immediately tried to swing his weapon again, but the dandy magi kneed him in the face and knocked him back.

Two others were already on the move, ready to attack. The well-dressed magi raised his hands and unleashed a blinding flare. One didn't close his eyes fast enough and stopped up to avoid being close to his enemy while recovering. But the other had predicted the move, closing her eyes and leapt at the now surprised Valtor. She swung her blade, which met no resistance as it passed through Valtor. No resistance whatsoever.

Instantly realising the trickery involved, she turned to figure out Valtor's new position. The dandy magi popped out of the ground and blasted her in the face with a rock before she had a chance to do so.

The one who had been blinded had recovered and now charged Valtor again. The sudden darkness that enveloped him caused the leprechaun to stop. Sensing that his enemy was hiding in the inky blackness that surrounded him, he stopped and listened. His brows furrowed as he tried to hear the slightest footstep or rustling of cloth. He never saw Valtor's attack coming. The magi's empowered fist smashed into the leprechaun's stomach and launched him backwards like a cannonball.

The darkness faded and Valtor turned to the last protector.

"So," the dandy magi began. "Also up for a round or have you had enough watching me beat the others?"

The leprechaun grasped her weapon tightly. "Even if we do not win, we do not surrender," she said, before dashing forward.

"I guess I can respect that," Valtor commented, as he charged up his magic.

...

"So how much do you know about your inner dragon?" Gerda asked.

"My what?" Bloom asked.

"Your inner dragon. The dragonflame, as you people call it," the ogre elaborated.

The group had wandered for about an hour and was about to enter a large thorny forest, which Bloom thought looked like an overgrown hedge, when Gerda had suddenly decided to ask questions.

"I, well, like as in what the myth says?" the redhead tried.

The ogre scout just sighed. "How do you expect Maia to teach you anything when you know less than our most ignorant initiate? It's in you, right? Then what is it? What does it feel like to you?"

"Ehm, well..." Bloom rubbed her head, thinking back to all the times she had felt the flame. "It's... It's like a concentrated nugget of power. That feels... Really old, I guess."

The ogre shook her head. "I doubt Maia will be able to teach her," she commented to the others.

Bloom pouted. "Well, I'd rather hear what Maia has to say about that," she insisted.

"Really? I already know more than you do," the ogre said as she stopped up.

"You have a dragonflame?" Bloom asked, surprised.

"Did you think only our leader had the soul of a dragon?" Gerda snorted. "We are many that share this ancient bond of blood. Our tribe was founded by dragons, who mingled with us to give us their strength and essence. Many in our tribe combine the best of both worlds. The body and brains of an ogre, combined with the soul of a dragon. But you know nothing. And you do not admit to knowing nothing. Rather than saying 'I am untrained and ignorant. I cannot answer', you instead dredge up some vague answer you hope will sound good."

Bloom paused. She had to admit, the ogre had a point. She didn't actually know a lot about the dragonflame. She knew what some people thought about it, but besides that, she had always just thought of it as something akin to a magical battery. The only times she noticed it was when she drew upon it and when she did, she was usually busy burning something. It was just that for her. Power.

"I've only ever really considered it to be power," she finally said. "I never thought more about it."

"It is power. But also more than that," Gerda insisted. "It is tied to your soul and your body. And like both, it can be strengthened. But to do so, you must first know how to properly call upon it."

"I know how to call upon it," Bloom replied. "When I get really angry, it starts up."  
"No, no, you must control your inner dragon like you control your body. Letting anger take control takes control from you. You must be in control of your wrath, all of your emotions, if you are to control your dragon," Gerda explained. "Dragons do not succeed by running amok. They are powerful, but also cunning, sneaky and courageous. They are not creatures of pure rage. To call upon your inner dragon, you must learn to be more than just a dragon's anger. If you do not, your dragon will never grow strong."

"Okay... And I do that how?"

"You must have confidence. You must have certainty. And you must have emotions," the ogre scout said, pointing to her amulet. "The three points of the soul. These are what strengthen your spirit and your inner dragon with it. It is the basis of all you will learn. If you do not even have that, you are wasting your time by coming here."

"Oh, okay. I'll just go down on the corner and buy a bag of confidence," Bloom muttered. "That'll help."  
"Hmm, better, but not good enough," the scout commented. "If you were truly confident, you wouldn't mumble. You would tell me loud and clear that you found me annoyinh." She snorted. "I will have to train you in the basics. If you go to Maia like this, you will be a bother." She looked around, scouting the wilderness. "We will start with confidence. Dragons know they're strong. They know they're dangerous. You must project this same will." She pointed at three large creatures. They had armoured hides vaguely resembling something between a pillbug and an armadillo. With long tusks and an even longer tongue, they tore up the ground to get at the nutritious and thorn-less roots. "Prey animals. They will gore you if they think you're weak. But if you seem strong, well, they'll flee. Project confidence and then march through them."

Bloom looked helplessly at Belisma and Knut, both of whom just shrugged.

"Do you think Maia will be less harsh?" the ogre scout barked. "Do you think there's a special princess class for fragile humans? There's not. The inner dragon is not easily mastered."  
"Hey, I've actually gotten a lot better with it," Bloom insisted. "When it first manifested, I kept almost killing myself."  
"That does not mean the dragon has become stronger or that you have become better at calling it. Only that you have become tougher. Which is of course still a good thing. You'll need toughness," Gerda said. "Now then, back to the lesson at hand. If you behave like a weakling, these creatures will think you're weak. But if you act strong and proud, they won't dare to mess with you."  
Bloom stared at the foraging creatures. "And how exactly do I do that?"

"Have you ever seen a confident person? Act like that," Gerda said, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "Puff out your chest, swing your arms, furrow your brows, start glaring. I don't care. Just do whatever makes you seem confident. Get into the mindset."  
"So I have to... Act like I'm confident?" the redhead slowly questioned.

"If you're faking it, they'll know." Gerda indicated the flock. "What I want you to do is call upon your confidence. Exaggerate a little if that helps build it."

Bloom stared nervously at the grazing animals. She took a deep breath and marched towards the creatures.

"So, ehm, we are allowed to interfere if they attack her, right?" Belisma asked.

Gerda seemed to mull it over. "Humans can't regenerate, right?"

"No, not really," Knut stated.

"Then yes, you should probably help her if anything goes wrong."

Bloom slowly stomped towards the creatures, swinging her arms like pendulums as she went. She felt silly, but it kinda helped make her feel bigger and more threatening.

The three creatures suddenly noticed her and started growling, flicking their long tongues in and out.  
As Bloom marched even closer, she briefly pondered if she was about to be the victim of an ogre practical joke. She steeled herself and stared the creatures down, hands on her hips as if daring them to try something.

The three creatures growled some more, before slowly backing off. They wandered further into the forest, occasionally shooting the redhead a dirty look. When they had completely disappeared, Bloom deflated and stumbled over to an exposed root she could sit on.

"Well done," Gerda said, as she marched over and carefully padded Bloom on the back. "Not excellent, but well done. You showed real confidence for a moment."  
"I don't feel confident," the redhead admitted.

"At the crucial moment you did," the ogre scout insisted. "But holding on to that is hard. Maia will have to work with that. Let's move on to our next lesson."  
"Already?" Bloom looked crestfallen at the thought.

"We don't have all day. Have to at least get you to beginner's level before saddling Maia with you," Gerda grunted. "Next is certainty." She marched over to a particularly thorny clump of the woods and pointed at a cluster of berries hidden within. "Some dragons are big and powerful, taking things by force." She smashed through the thorns, grabbed the berries and pulled them out. Several of the spikes were stuck in her tough hide, not that she seemed to care. "Other dragons are sneaky and plan ambushes, taking prey by surprise." She slowly snaked her arm into another bush, gently grabbing the berries and pulling them out without a scratch. "However, no matter what they do, they are certain of themselves. They believe in what they do. And so must you. It is not what you do, it is the fact that you believe you can do it."

"Isn't that just another way of showing confidence?" Bloom asked.  
"No. What you must do here is know yourself," Gerda explained. "Pure confidence can lead you to overestimate yourself. You must know your strengths and weaknesses. And then use them to solve your problem." She ate he berries she had plucked. "The problem in this case being picking a cluster of stickleberries."

Bloom looked to Knut and Belisma, mentally begging them to save her.

"It's okay, Bloom. Just stick your hand in the thorn bush like the nice lady says," Belisma encouragingly offered. "You can do it."

"We have medical supplies," Knut grunted.

"Thanks. I feel a lot better now," Bloom sighed, as she walked over to the bush, where Gerda was expecting her. "So, just grab one?"

"Just grab one, yes."

Bloom bit her lip and tried to slowly snake her arm into the bush to grab a juicy cluster of berries. But no matter which way she did it, she always ended up almost skewering her arm.

"This is impossible," she groaned, pulling back an arm covered in tiny wounds.

"Only if you allow it to be," Gerda snorted.

The redhead glared at her. Then inspiration struck. "I just had to get the berries, right?"  
"Yeah, that's what I said. You're not daft, are you?"

Bloom smirked and concentrated. Suddenly, flames blazed around several vines and cut through them, dropping them to the forest floor. Bloom reached in and easily grabbed the berries, turning to Gerda with a victorious smirk.

"Took you long enough," the ogre grunted.

"What?" Bloom asked, once again taken by surprise. "You don't think I cheated? I didn't even do it like you showed me."  
"You really are daft," Gerda groaned. "I told you, you need to focus on your strengths. If your strength is burning things and burning things is a way to solve your problem, then of course you should burn things."

"I hope she doesn't encourage Bloom to develop pyromaniacal tendencies," Belisma added concerned.

"Eh. Most things on Pyros are somewhat fireproof anyway," Knut commented.

"Now then, third lesson. Emotion," Gerda instructed. "Specifically, how to control them. Dragons are made of emotions. Unfettered, wild, raw. But that is where we people shine. Dragons are instinctive and are thus led by emotion. We are thinking and can therefore lead our emotions. Use it as a source of strength to empower you."

"And how is _that_ different from confidence?" Bloom sceptically asked.

"The dragonflame is like... Think of it as a gun," Gerda said, after a moment of consideration. "The dragonflame is the bullet. Confidence is the gun itself. Certainty is your aim. Emotion is how you fire it. Does that make sense to you? You cannot use your inner dragon without confidence, but your raw emotion is what unleashes it. And that can be any emotion. Love, wrath, hate, even joy."

"So with that established, what sort of danger should I throw myself into now?" Bloom questioned.

"Your sass is improving," the ogre grunted. "This one is simple. Just think of something that makes you really emotional and call upon that. But you have to remain in control while doing so."

Bloom stared at her. "Okay, what's the catch?" she finally asked.

"No catch. Just focus on a powerful emotional moment. Start with something recent. Until you get better at this, it's better to use something raw. Let it fill you while you remain in control of yourself. Allow it to _be_ , without letting it take control."  
Bloom closed her eyes and concentrated. Calling up emotions was part of her fairy training, but that was specifically calling up emotions that made her happy. For intense emotions however...

 _Valtor._

Bloom clenched her fists and her eyes opened. Fire began dancing across her body.  
"Remain in control," Gerda insisted. "You must master your emotions. If you can't, you will never control your inner dragon and never make it grow."  
"Should we back away a bit now?" Belisma asked. "I mean, she looks ready to explode. Literally."  
"Just stand behind me if she does," Knut reassured her. "I can take it."

Bloom clenched her eyes, tears streaming from them. She wanted to burn something. She wanted to charge off, find Valtor and smash a fireball down his throat. And then send another up his ass and make them both detonate once they collided in his intestines.

She forced herself to breathe. She had to remain in control. She had to feed her dragonflame with her emotions, not let them dominate her. She breathed heavily and forced herself to calm down.

"Eh, points for effort," Gerda said, noting the scorch-mark underneath the redhead. "Well, that's it for the basics. You should be good enough for Maia to at least consider training you. Well, we need to move on now." Then the scout marched off.

"Are you okay?" Belisma asked concerned, as she walked over to Bloom. "How are you feeling?"  
"I'm not entirely sure," Bloom said, her voice a bit unsteady. "But I think part of me expected this to end with something more than just a verbal pat on the back and a march order."

...

The three Usurpers looked up as the familiar sound of an opening portal could be heard. Through the rift walked a very relaxed Valtor, holding a rather full bag in one hand.

"Oh, you're back. Did it work?" Stormy asked.

The dandy magi pulled a spoon from his pocket and easily balanced it point first on his finger. "I have obtained the dragonshade of balance. The powers within me are at rest." He briefly paused. "For now."  
"For now?" Darcy echoed.

"Well, I am not arrogant enough to think that it can't become too much for even the knack of balance to handle," Valtor admitted. "So I've been looking into alternatives. It's really just a matter of planning."  
"And what about Bloom?" Icy asked. "What are our plans for dealing with her?"  
"What does she have to do with this?" Stormy asked, nonplussed.

"She's a danger and must be taken care of," Icy insisted.

"You're just mad because the newspapers are still predicting your brother will marry her now that Sky is out of the picture," Darcy stated.

"He deserves better than her," the white-haired witch hissed.

"To answer your question, unless I am absolutely sure my sister is planning on moving against me, I find it unnecessary to waste resources on her," Valtor cut in. "Bloom has proven herself a nuisance in the past, but let's see if our last encounter wasn't enough to dissuade her. Now, as for you three, you've been complaining that the re-aging has left it hard for you to find clothes that fit."  
"Yeah. I mean, look at me," Stormy said, pointing to the uncomfortably tight clothes she was wearing. "If I bend over, you'll get a good idea of how to perform a fucking colonoscopy on me."

"Please don't," Valtor pleaded. "But that is why I brought you some souvenirs before I left Ohm." From the bag, he pulled three ponchos, coloured bright ochre yellow.

"What are those?" Icy asked, staring at the three pieces of cloth with a rather hyper-offended expression.

"Ponchos. They're big and baggy, giving you plenty of room to grow in until you're back to your right age again," the dandy magi said as he handed them to the three. "No, no, you don't have to thank me. It was a pleasure."  
Darcy stared at hers for a little while. "Valtor, you know fashion. That much is obvious from your clothes," she stated tactfully. "Why this garish colour?"

The well-dressed sorcerer sighed and said: "Because the police were on my heels. Ever tried buying something while several cops are shooting the store apart? Not easy. So I grabbed these and thought they would have to do. At first I wanted to find some that matched each of you, but things got crazy back there."  
"Eh, better than getting my blood-flow cut off," Stormy said.  
"I can handle the loss of dignity," Darcy murmured.  
"There is no way I'll wear this," Icy grumbled. "To the Abyss with this..." She jumped from the office table she had been sitting on and a loud ritsch could be heard. Immediately Icy grabbed her pants and shirt to prevent the frayed clothes from falling off.

An awkward pause followed.

"Okay, I'll wear it," she said angrily. "But the moment I'm back to normal, I'll _burn_ it."

...

"This place stinks," Knut grunted.

The group had made their way through the Stickleberry Wild and were now carefully walking between the bubbling, black pits that gave the Great Tar Lakes their name.

"Is your nose clogging up again?" Belisma concernedly asked.

"Oh, no, no. It's fine," the ogre quickly reassured her. "Just a little annoying. That's all. I can take it." He then loudly sniffed, trying hard to make his nose work properly.

Gerda rolled her eyes at his behaviour.

Bloom shuddered as she eyed the skeletal remains of a dragon poking out of one of the lakes, deep furrows in the stone where the beast had tried to crawl up. What a horrid way to go.  
"Probably fell in while chasing prey," Gerda commented when she noticed where Bloom was looking. "It happens. Many of the local grazers know that they can get the dragons to chase them in here. And only a few dragons can get out if they fall in. That's why self-control is necessary." She looked back at the dragon bones. "Otherwise you're likely to rush into your own death. It's why you have to know and control yourself, even while you're confident and emotional. Otherwise, you'll end up like that poor bastard."  
Bloom was silent for a moment. How many times had she and her friends not rushed into danger because it felt right? Because they were concerned, angry or otherwise worked up? It had worked out for the best sometimes, but other times... It hadn't. The redhead shuddered as she remembered her failed attack on Valtor. If Faragonda had not found out and organized a rescue, her brother would have won.

"You okay there, Bloom?" Belisma asked. "You look like you're deep in thoughts."

"I guess I'm just starting to see a point to all these lessons," the redhead answered.

"Good. Would have hated to find out I wasted my time," Gerda grunted.

Bloom was about to say something sarcastic, but paused. "You know what, Gerda. Thanks for the help."  
"No prob'." The ogre's attention was caught by the path ahead. "There's not a lot of walking left. Just need to get past the last couple of pits and the walk up to rocky cliffs behind them. From there, we should be able to see Firetop."

Knut began sniffing intensely. "Something's... Off. But I can't really tell what. This place makes my nose itchy."  
Gerda stopped up and began sniffing too. "You're right. Kinda... Kinda smells like..."

The earth beneath them rumbled intensely and the group was rattled around. The rocky surface they had been walking on slowly rose.

Bloom felt her feet slide as the ground shifted and she stumbled off the rising rocks. She landed hard on the ground, the impact knocking the air out of her lungs. But her new position also allowed her to see exactly what it was they had disturbed. "Oh crap."

The massive dragon had a dull, dark-grey hide. It had no wings, but powerful muscles rippled underneath its slightly pudgy build. It growled as it saw them, seemingly annoyed that it hadn't managed to find better prey. Not that said fact seemed to dissuade it from trying to eat them. It roared and lifted one of its front legs. Massive sickle claws protruding from it. And then it brought it down.

Knut and Belisma leapt over a stream of tar, the hard earth behind them cracking and splintering from the dragon's impact. The small elf rolled along the ground and got up on one knee, having drawn her rifle in the process. She took aim and began firing several bullets, peppering the dragon's face. The creature growled again and stomped towards them, giving Gerda the opportunity to get around to Bloom.

"Is... Is this... Another test?" Bloom weakly croaked.

"No test. Mountain dragons are no joke." Gerda said, as she helped Bloom up. "I don't think we can take it on directly. But I have a plan."  
"I'm all ears." Bloom nervously eyed Knut and Belisma, who were running around the area pursued by the hungry dragon.

"Those two are good, but their attacks will not penetrate its scales. We need stronger stuff. Which you have. I need you call upon your inner dragon and blast the beast. Just enough to hurt it."

Knut and Belisma kept running as the dragon struck again, pulverizing the ground with its blows.

"Next time we do something together, can it be something nicer?" Belisma asked as they ran. "I mean, I don't mind a little excitement now and then. But a calm dinner would also be great." She looked over her shoulder, eyeing the pursuing beast. "Why didn't I bring a rocket launcher?"  
"You couldn't fit it in your bag, remember," Knut grunted. "Now JUMP!"  
The two leapt across another tar stream. As Knut landed, the ground gave slightly and with a yell his foot sunk into the gunk. "Dammit," he grumbled as he began pulling at the stuck appendage. "Well, this is going to hurt like..." A shadow cowered him. He looked up as the mountain dragon towered over him. "Actually, that's probably going to hurt even more."

"KNUT!" Belisma yelled.

"DON'T WORRY! I CAN PROBABLY SURVIVE THIS!" Knut reassured her. "SOMEWHAT SURVIVE THIS!" He stared the beast straight in the eyes as it lifted its front leg to crush him. "Do your worst."

A fiery lance suddenly struck its side and the dragon yelped. It was still a deep and guttural sound, but none the less a yelp. A small hole had been opened in its side, allowing a small stream of blood to trickle out. Angrily it swung its head around, completely forgetting about the ogre in its search for the person who had dared to wound it.

"HEY! I'M OVER HERE!" Bloom yelled, catching the dragon's attention.

It eyed her and snorted, obviously less than impressed by her presence.

Bloom saw that the beast was again about to focus on Knut, who was still fighting to get his foot out of the tar. She closed her eyes and focused. She believed in herself, she was certain of the plan and she wanted to protect Knut. She could feel the dragonflame inside her, powerful but not as wild as it usually was. She breathed out, focused and shot another searing beam from her hands. This time, it collided with the dragon's neck. The beast roared and turned, incensed by the redhead's pestering. It growled and stomped towards her.

Bloom turned and ran. She knew she couldn't outrun the beast. But she didn't have to. She stomped across a rise of dirt that separated two tar pools like a dam. The dragon followed, eager to devour the redhead.

"NOW, GERDA!" Bloom yelled, as she reached the other side.

On the other side of the lower pool, Gerda focused. Thousands of flowers bloomed from the soil of the dam, pushing away dirt and stones. The dragon stumbled as the ground shifted under it and with a roar, it tumbled into the lower pit. The dam completely collapsed, sending waves of the sticky black substance over the beast. Fire emanated from its mouth as it angrily fought the glue-like gunk that almost completely covered it.

While it struggled, the four travellers hurried away from it, not stopping until they reached the cliffs on the other side.

"I… Hate… Running," Bloom gasped. "My sides… Are aching."  
"Ah, it's good for you," Gerda said, patting the redhead on the back. "I'd say we all did a good job with the dragon. And that's why using your brain makes you even more dangerous. The dragon was stronger than any of us and all of us, but we outsmarted it."

Bloom paused as she thought about Valtor again. Her brother was insanely strong, true. Much like the dragon, she would have to outsmart him. She began realising how truly stupid her head-on attack had been. She had no intentions of just sitting back and letting him run amok, but she acknowledged she needed a proper strategy to deal with him, rather than just hoping to overwhelm him with raw power alone.

The four travellers made their way up a path in the cliff and soon after reached the top.

Bloom gasped. "It's amazing."  
"It's beautiful," Belisma squeed.

"It's red," Knut stated.

"It's home," Gerda grunted.

In the distance, past a large field, lay a mountain. The top of it was crimson, a colour only intensified by the setting sun. At its foot lay a small city, no doubt the home of the Dragonsoul ogres.

"The Firetop flowers are what give the place its name," Gerda began as they started walking towards the mountain. "They have medicinal properties. Very useful."

"So do you think Maia will take me on as a student now?" Bloom asked.  
"Oh, don't worry. I will," the ogre scout said. "But I expect you to keep working hard."  
Bloom stopped, completely flabbergasted. "Wait, you're…" She turned to the others and said: "Guys, she's…" She realised that both Knut and Belisma were the very epitome of not surprised at the moment. "You knew? Since when?"  
"Told you that I knew the Dragonsoul tribe," Knut responded. "Sure, I can't name every single member, but of course I would recognise their leader. I just figured she had her reasons."

"And I assumed she was Maia when she started teaching you," Belisma said. "It seemed to be one of those stealth mentor things. I was sure there was a point to it."

Bloom turned to Maia. "So what was the point?"

"I wanted to get to know you. The real you," Maia grunted. "People often put on airs if they think you're important. And you royalty types are especially bad. I needed to get things down to basics and I couldn't do that if you staggered around trying to make a good impression. The inner dragon is your most primal self. You won't strengthen it by being pretentious."

The redhead was silent. "I suppose you're right," she finally said. "So what now?"

"Now we go have dinner and then a bath," Maia said as the group started moving towards the village again. "I'd say we've earned it."

...

Saladin sat by his desk, fiddling with his fingers. On the other side sat Helia, trying not to look uncomfortable.

"So…" the warlock began. "Was it fun?"

"Very. And educational," Helia said. "I learned a lot from the other artists."  
"I see. That's good." Pause. "So people liked your art?"

"Well, some did. Taste varies a lot," the artist responded.

"Of course." Awkward pause. "Well, so was there..."

The phone rang and Saladin let out a small sigh of relief over having something else to think about. "Warlock Menefer Saladin of Red Fountain," he said as he took the call.

"Hello. This is Jamie Thorson. Of the Omega Portal expedition. We've got a situation."

"Please tell me it hasn't started up again," Saladin replied.  
"No. We wanted some readings from the portal site on Omega for comparison, so we sent a group, including Red Fountain student Timmy Olsen. A couple hours later, we received a severely garbled message before completely losing contact. We fear that they have crashed. We don't have the manpower or resources to launch a rescue mission."

"I see. Send us all the data and I'll get one organized." The warlock ended the call and turned to Helia. "It was about Timmy. He's your friend, right?"

"Well, yeah. We became sorta good buddies during the Phoenix War. Why?" the artist inquired concerned.

"He and a small team have most likely crashed on Omega. I need to put together a team to get them out," Saladin explained. "And seeing as you always excelled at rescue missions, I figured I would give you a chance to help."  
Helia chewed on his lip. "Okay, I'll help," he said. "But that doesn't mean I'm re-enrolling."

"Very well," Saladin said, as he got out of his chair. "Get your gear. I'll have a team organized as soon as I know more."


	16. The Search

Chapter 16: The Search

Helia patrolled the outer gardens of Red Fountain, anxiously awaiting the call to action. He found that the fresh air helped soothe his worries. Not as much as his artistic hobbies did, but he risked having to leave in the middle of a project. He disliked when that happened. He occasionally stopped, straining to hear if there were any sounds from his earpiece. He knew it could all start any moment. Any second really. And then they would be off to find the missing expedition to Omega. He had already geared up in his uniform and everything.

"Yo, Helia," a familiar voice called. The black-haired artist turned and noted Riven jogging up to him, also clad in hid uniform. "So, heard you were also on the team."

"Yeah. Menefer offered and I didn't feel like leaving Timmy hanging," the artist replied. "I kinda suspect that it's because he, at least partially, hopes helping people will give me a taste for the military life."

"But we can pretty much both agree that's not going to happen," Riven commented. "Anyway, I just came by to give you our roster." He gave the piece of paper to Helia.

"Hmm, Cordatorta is heading the expedition." He handed the paper back. "With both Knut and Belisma out, Red Fountain is going to get kinda understaffed."

"Yeah. But you know how it is." Riven shrugged. "We just don't have enough commanders with the necessary experience to lead these sorta missions. Most of them fart off the moment they're done here, to become rich leading armies on their homeworld or something like that."  
Helia nodded. It was an acknowledged problem that Red Fountain lacked military commanders. Not for lack of potential recruits, but as Riven had stated, most sought more profitable careers than what Red Fountain had to offer. Saladin had asked for a bigger budget, either to hire more staff or to make staying more lucrative, but Magicalis had so far not said yes. Mostly because they figured that between Red Fountain and having the Roccalucian Order nearby, they had what they needed militarily. The previous two years' conflicts had done little to dissuade the notion, mostly because both those conflicts were won.

"How much do you know of Omega?" Helia inquired, having mulled over the previous issue.

"It's a frozen shithole where we dump people we don't like," the magenta-haired soldier replied. "Same system as Marigold and Pyros. Whole damn dimension is just dedicated to producing planet-sized death-traps."

"Indeed. And while all are inhospitable, Omega is the one most hostile towards life. Though not completely," Helia explained. "The introduction of oxygen generators changed that long ago. Which is why crashing there is not an immediate death-sentence."  
"But a probable one," Riven grumbled. He sighed and followed up with: "Sorry. I don't mean to sound bleak. I'm just not good at getting my hopes up."  
"Pessimism has its advantages I suppose," Helia said with a shrug. "Still, I'll remain optimistic. Knowing Timmy, he would ensure they had packed the necessary supplies in case of a crash. If they had to make readings, they must have expected to land." He paused, thinking back on what he knew. "Any word about what the garbled message was about?"  
"If they've managed to decipher it, they've yet to share it." Riven pondered. "I doubt it was a distress call. Those go over a special channel, so even when scrambled they still catch attention. Could be it was just a normal message, but whatever scrambled it also took out the ship." He shook his head. "There's just too many unknowns for me to take a guess."

"That's what makes me nervous," Helia admitted.

"Yeah, me too."  
Silence descended.

"Dammit, I can't stand this!" Riven erupted. "Let's have a race. Arm-wrestling. Something. If I just stand here doing nothing, I'll fucking snap before long."

"I assume you don't want to discuss the artistic virtues of neo-classical Limphean trophy art," Helia said.

Riven stared blankly at him. "I know what _some_ of those words mean."

...

Valtor was trying to enjoy himself. He finally had a moment where he didn't have to re-age the Usurpers, steal an artefact or content with the numerous things that tried to interfere with his designs. So taking a moment to enjoy the small things in life, like watching funny videos on the net or reading some books shouldn't be hard.

Yet it was. Valtor blamed Daphne. The ghost was hovering silently in the room, looking at him. The dandy magi glanced at her. No, _glared_ was probably the correct word.

"If you're trying to guilt trip me by silently expressing your disapproval, you should save yourself the trouble," he informed her. "It doesn't work."

"Unless she finds herself in an extravagantly considerate mood, I don't think Bloom will ever forgive me," the ghost stated. "She probably now considers both of us guilty of getting Techna killed, by association if nothing else."  
"I fail to see how that is my fault," Valtor said. "Look, I know how you want things to work out. You were always..." He though about his words. "Soft," he tried diplomatically. "No, that sounds wrong. Caring I guess. You were always more concerned with people than I. Not to mention quite the optimist. But fact is that I can't do anything about it. It is tragic, but hardly within my influence to correct."

"Are you sure you're not just fleeing from your responsibility?" Daphne asked concerned.

Valtor rolled his eyes. "Look, I admit, I made a blunder with that portal. An oversight on my part while I was trying to escape." He paused, quietly adding: "One with disastrous consequences." Normally, he continued with: "But reality is that my actions and their consequences are so far apart that it would be unfair to hold me as the only one responsible."  
"But you are responsible for a lot more than just that," Daphne said. "Brother, this is not the right way to correct the issues of the past. If you would just listen to me and..."  
"Sister, I appreciate both your company and advice," Valtor interrupted. "But not everyone is as goodhearted as you are." With a tinge of sadness, he added: " That is why we're here after all." He was lost in memories for a second, before continuing with: "Anyway, that is why I have to do this my way. I've lost enough time on Omega. Valuable time, which I do not have an infinite amount of."

"That makes two of us," the undead magi murmured.

The mirror on the office wall began humming.

"Ah, someone wants my attention," Valtor said as he allowed the connection to be established. "Hello, Sky. What news do you bring to me?"  
"I have successfully discerned Bloom's whereabouts, thanks to a classmate with loose lips," Sky said, his voice completely neutral due to the mental dominance. "She has gone to Pyros to seek out the Dragonsoul ogres. Apparently she wants to train her dragonflame."  
Valtor folded his hands as his mind began working. He eyed Daphne, who looked very much crestfallen. "Thank you, Sky. Could you get me Diaspro?"  
"At once, sir," Sky said and disappeared.

"I know what you're thinking of, brother," Daphne began pleadingly. "But please, just let her be. She's not a threat to you."  
"On the contrary, dear Daphne, I don't think Phila is doing this for any other reason than because she wants to be a threat," Valtor declared. "And I cannot allow that." He concentrated, mentally commanding Cloud Tower to send for the three witches.

"The two of you would be driving me into an early grave, were I not already dead," Daphne sighed, a hint of frustration in her clear voice. "Very well, I know you well enough. I cannot dissuade you, so I shall take my leave. Goodbye, Valtor."  
"Do take care, Daphne," he said, as the ghost faded again.

Not long after, the doors opened and Stormy, Icy and Darcy made their entrance, once again adults. With slight modifications, anyway. Stormy had become somewhat taller and had to constantly wear her poncho due to having outgrown all her clothes. Icy, one the other hand, looked baggy in her old clothes, having shrunk a bit. Darcy didn't immediately look different, though she claimed that her balance was slightly off from whatever Valtor hadn't gotten just right. She figured it was probably due to wrongly distributed muscle-mass or fat.

"Glad to see you three. We have a lead on Bloom," the dandy magi began. "She is on Pyros, no doubt seeking ways to overcome me."  
"Could she?" Stormy asked.

"No. But she could become a significant hindrance." He looked in the mirror. "Ah, Diaspro. Good to see you again. How have things been?"  
"Oh... Well enough," the noble tried. She sounded somewhat tired, though not a sign of fatigue could be seen on her.

"Good. Now listen. I want you all to meet up on Pyros and capture Bloom," Valtor continued. "And let me emphasize the _capture_ part." He looked at Icy.

"Yeah, yeah, capture. Gotcha," the white-haired witch said annoyed. "Why do you hold your hand over her like this?"

"A very good question, Icy. Why haven't you disowned your family after they publicly supported Bloom?" Valtor countered.  
"Eh... Ah... That's..." Icy was stuck between being furious over being reminded and perplexed at finding herself unable to answer.

"Exactly. I don't completely blame Bloom. No doubt her perspective has been significantly influenced by the popular opinion," Valtor continued. "I do not hold it against her, but I have to ensure she doesn't become a threat to my operations. Therefore, I need to put her to sleep until such a time that she can no longer interfere."  
"Speaking of interfere, how long are we going to be staying here?" Darcy asked. "Because I'm starting to become nervous. I think people are having a hard time swallowing the revenge motive after Oppositus and Ohm. And I'm not sure if we can withstand a full on attack from the likes of the Roccalucian Order. Their headquarters are not exactly far away."

"We are indeed fortunate that the Order is spread thin most of the time. Gathering their forces to oust me will take them a while," Valtor commented. "Plus, the government of Magicalis is eager to believe the revenge angle. Gives them an excuse not to involve themselves, especially after the last two years of chaos. But you are right. Our time here is drawing to a close and we'll soon be looking for greener pastures, so to speak. But for now, Bloom."  
"I have a request," Diaspro said. "I'd like to bring Brandon on this trip."  
"Why?" Valtor inquired.

"Sky leaving without his squire would be suspicious," the blond noble pointed out. "Plus, he is skilled enough to be a help without the magical know-how to be a threat. And we'll need the extra security for Pyros."  
"If you think it is for the best, but be careful. He isn't marked," Valtor remarked. "Now, you'll meet up at Point Heatstroke. That should be close enough to Dragonsoul territory that you can get there somewhat quickly."

...

It had all happened rather fast in Helia's opinion. One moment, he and Riven had been drinking some water after having a quick run around Red Fountain. The next second they had been paged, their earpieces informing them that the mission to Omega was about to commence. And then before he could even think about it, Helia found himself already halfway to the hangar. It struck him as rather funny that despite his aversion to institutionalized violence, the training he had received was still engraved in him. Like riding a hoverbike.

The hangar was buzzing with activity as the eight other members of the rescue operation stormed into the hangar where Cordatorta and a prepped ship awaited them. Despite coming in pretty much at random, the ten soldiers quickly assembled into an orderly formation, awaiting their instructions.

"Alright, all aboard," the dragonhandler barked and the team marched onto the ship. The cargo-room door had barely closed behind the big man before the ship took off.

"Alright, listen up," Cordatorta loudly began, catching the assembled soldiers' attention. "We're going to Omega. You may have heard about it. It's an inhospitable, frozen world. Here's the situation. About six hours ago, we were contacted by a scientific expedition on Andros, who was investigating the remains of the collapsed Omega portal. Part of their team went to Omega to take readings of the other side of the former portal. About seven hours ago, they sent a final transmission. It was garbled and we have yet to decipher it. But they went dark immediately afterwards. It is unknown if they crashed or something happened after they landed. Either way, our job is to go to their last known coordinates and search for them. According to the info we've been given, they were supplied in case of a situation like this, but we don't want to take any risks, which is why we left immediately. As for possible dangers, we'll be dealing with sub-zero temperatures and ice wyrms. The latter being the more dangerous. We've also been warned that the collapse of the portal will have damaged the nearby stasis pods of the trapped criminals, but they will be a minor concern at worst, as the pods are neither equipped with weaponry nor goods. We should be arriving within the hour, so if any of you have questions, now would be a damn good time to ask them. No? Alright, find a seat and relax. You'll need the energy. Remember to change to winter gear before we arrive. We'll be starting the search immediately, so there will not be any stopping just because any of you forgot to put on your fuzzy underwear. Dismissed."

...

Bloom felt somewhat awkward. The city, which was just named Dragonsoul after the tribe that owned it, had been mostly quiet when they arrived. The redhead had gotten a bath, a nice dinner and a soft bed to lie in. She had even been introduced to Maia's family. And now, the day after, she had to be introduced to the rest of the tribe, which was where the awkwardness came in.

The crowd of ogres was enormous. It wasn't like Bloom hadn't seen ogres besides Knut before, they just tended to be rare in everyday life. Yet here, they were many. Most of them taller than the redhead, with builds reminiscent of muscular fridges. Even the children looked like they were enthusiastic body-builders, which Knut had informed her was just part of an ogre's body. They built muscles easily and with little effort. Which just made Bloom feel rather small and flabby in comparison, especially with so many of them observing her.

"SO I JUST WANTED YOU ALL TO QUICKLY COME BY TO GIVE YOUR ALL A SHORT NOTICE!" Maia bellowed to be heard. "BLOOM HERE IS MY STUDENT AND IS THEREFORE AN HONOARY MEMBER OF THE TRIBE!" She paused. "THAT IS ALL!"

The assembled ogres began congratulating Bloom on her membership.  
"Congrats, Bloom," one said and shook her hand so hard the redhead was genuinely concerned about her shoulder.

"Welcome, little girl," another enthusiastically said, about to pat Bloom on the back.  
Maia immediately grabbed his arm as he was about to smash her and informed him: "Remember. Human."

"Oh. Oh, right," the ogre said in sudden realisation. He very gently and carefully patted Bloom on the shoulder with a: "Good to have you here."  
Bloom looked nervously at Maia.

"Don't worry. We're just a little rough around here. Nothing we can't handle, but you humans are fragile," Maia explained. "Nothing we couldn't fix, but I want to get your training started now rather than after we've recovered your torso and put it back."  
"Thanks for that," the redhead said, rubbing her sore shoulder. "So what exactly are we doing today?"  
"It's my turn to do some scouting east of here. You'll be going with me and we'll have a chat. Maybe some simple exercises," Maia said. "And that's about it. It'll just be the two of us though."

"Won't that be a bit dangerous?" the Dominian princess concernedly asked.

"I've done this before. The only dangerous part will be having to step in every time something tries to eat you," Maia said. "That is, dangerous for you."

Bloom was silent for a while. "Do ogres ever worry about anything?" she asked after some consideration. "Because both you and Knut are completely blunt and nonchalant about even the most depressing and fearsome things. I know I don't feel better from knowing that something is going to try making me its dinner."  
"Eh. I just call reality as I see it. If you see reality any other way, please inform me. It might be something contagious." She paused as Bloom giggled. "No, I'm serious. There's a sort of fungi whose spores can do all kinds of weird stuff with your brain. Troublesome to get rid of."  
"Oh. How delightful," the redhead flatly noted.

...

The last couple of months had not been fun for Brandon. First, his prince and good friend had been brainwashed. Then he had turned into a mutant hulk, who had then subsequently tried to carve his girlfriend open. Only his own quick reflexes had ensured that he was the one being carved open instead. Then he woke up in the medic bay, chained to the bed and under constant guard due to the 'safety risk' he posed and the possibility he had been under Valtor's influence when he assaulted his prince 'without provocation'. He had expected to go to jail afterwards, but Sky had gotten him out after giving his version of what had happened. It involved Brandon discovering Valtor in the castle and engaging him in a one on one fight, where after he had been temporarily brainwashed into attacking Sky. It was an explanation that had a lot of holes in it, but those holes were filled by Sky's authority and so, Brandon had been released. Though Diaspro had quickly made it perfectly clear that he was only out because she allowed it and if he tried anything, he would indeed be sent to jail.

And thus began a rather awkward phase in Brandon's life. He had to continue on pretending everything was normal, all the while staying away from Red Fountain, his girlfriend and many other things. Guards were constantly keeping an eye on him, just in case, and he was pretty sure any communication he did send was proofread by Eraklian spies before it arrived anywhere. Still, it allowed him to keep an eye on Sky. And occasionally witnessing Valtor take control of him. The latter was always a painful experience. And now, the blond prince had been ordered to help hunt down Bloom. It was twisted beyond belief.

But then something happened that took the squire completely by surprise. Diaspro had ordered him to assist. Now the two of them sat in the back of a ship, Sky piloting it with a blank expression. The excuse they had given to the staff had been that Sky needed a little break and wanted to go somewhere with his wife-to-be and squire.

And now the ship was filled with a heavy and awkward mood.

"You hate me, don't you?" Diaspro softly asked, breaking the silence.

"Well... You have turned my best friend into a puppet, reduced my life to a shallow parody and assisted a madman who has hurt both my beloved and several of my very good friends," Brandon said, counting on his fingers. "Do I have a reason not to?"

"You didn't actually answer the question," the blonde noted.

The squire sighed. "No, I don't hate you. I'm angry, but more than anything, I pity you. You're a sad product of noble society. There, happy?"  
"No," Diaspro admitted. "I haven't been happy for a while. I barely sleep, eat or anything. I have everything I've ever wanted and it makes me miserable."

"Are you sure you have what you want? Or maybe you just have what you've been told you should want."  
"Possibly." Diaspro sighed. "Truth is, I've never known the difference between the two. I've always been told what to be and I've always tried to be that. When my family more or less disowned me, I thought my only chance at happiness was Valtor." She paused. "But I am not happy."

"Trust me, you're not the only one," Brandon muttered.

"It all made sense," Diaspro continued. It was as if she wasn't even paying attention to Brandon anymore. "Sky would be better off married to me. Bloom would be better off as his concubine. It all seemed so perfect. And yet... It isn't."

Brandon shook his head. "Do you know why I find you sad more than anything else? You don't really have a personality. You're just a pile of everything you've been told. From your manners to your opinions. It's all artificial. Fake and very hollow. And that's sad. I'd like to meet the real you, if there is anything left of her."

Diaspro didn't answer. She stared into space, deeply lost in thought.

"So why did you bring me along for this? You probably already know that the moment I see an opportunity, I'll make a run for it," Brandon continued. "And I'm taking Sky with me." He stared at her. "But that's exactly what you want me to do, right?"  
"I don't know what I want," the noble blonde replied. "I've never known that. I've always known what I should want, what I should be, how I should feel and what I should think."

"Well, you better find out soon who you are and what you want," Brandon noted as they neared Pyros. "Because trust me, we're all fast running out of time to choose in. If you don't find out now, then you may not find out before it's too late to do anything about it."

...

"I must admit," Bloom began, as she and Maia trekked across rocky fields east of Firetop Mountain. "I'm kinda surprised to see you as a leader do work like this."  
"You would be," the ogre snorted. "I know how it is out there. If you're the leader, it means you get to sit back and have people wash your feet. Or whatever it is you do. Not here. I take charge and I do my part. I help the tribe." She grunted. "Sitting back and putting on weight is not helping. It's parasitic. That's why I admire how the people of Limphea often do it. Nobility means hard work. Not cosy assignments."

"I wouldn't exactly say it's been easy being a royal," the redhead began. "But I agree, far too many just use it as an excuse to not do anything useful."

"Glad to hear that. You may just become a good leader someday," Maia grunted with approval. "Still, you got ways to go. Now then, back to our training. As the inner dragon is fuelled by your emotions, it is an important part to understand what those emotions are."

Bloom listened intently to the lecture, but suddenly noticed her legs were slightly shaking. Then she realised that it wasn't her legs. It was the ground.

"You had a goal in mind when you came to me. We shall start with that." The ogre seemed to completely ignore the loud rumbling and the shaking ground.

"Ma-Ma-Maia-a. It-it's an-an ea-ea-earthqu-qu-quake-ke," Bloom tried, her voice heavily affected by the ongoing vibrations.

"First off, don't interrupt. Secondly, of course it's an earthquake," Maia grunted. "Now then, describe why you want to improve your inner dragon."

"Bu-but ea-ea-earthqu-qu-quake-ke."

"What is it with you? Yes, it's an earthquake. Never been in one before?" Maia seemed slightly annoyed at Bloom's constant veering off topic.

"No-no-no," the redhead responded.

"Oh. I see." A sliver of Maia's annoyance vanished and she stopped walking. "Well, quit worrying. There's nothing that can fall on us out here. And it will be... Well, it's gone now. So anyway, as I was asking," she began, as she started to move on. "Why come to me?"  
"Have you ever heard of Valtor?" Bloom asked.

"Eh, maybe. Nothing really comes to mind."  
"Well, he's my older brother. Half-brother, that is. At some point, he just went crazy, joined up with the Coven. Ever heard of them?"

Maia scratched her head. "Vaguely. Trio of crazy bitches that gathered a lot of followers if memory serves."

Bloom paused. "I guess that does sum it up. Valtor was one of those followers. He used his powers to turn Domino, my home country, into a frozen wasteland."

"Ah, Domino I know," Maia said. "Very snooty royals. Tried allying with my tribe numerous times. They claim it's just out of respect, but I always got the feeling they didn't like that we had the same powers as them without being under their control. Always arrogant and trying to impress me. At least twice per generation."  
"How old are you?" Bloom asked curiously.

"Eh, getting close to two-hundred and fifty," Maia said and shrugged. "Not unusual for an ogre. Even without magic, we live long. But that does explain why I haven't been pestered by Dominian royals in a while."

"Oh. I'd thought that was the kind of thing everybody knew," the redhead commented.  
"Bloom, the sheer number of countries, realms, kingdoms, empires and whatnot makes it really hard to stay up to date on everything. Maybe I heard of it and I forgot. Never was that important to me." Maia shrugged. "But obviously, it is to you. So he froze Domino. Then what?"

"Well, my ghost sister... Ghost half-sister, saved me from the curse by sending me to Earth," Bloom continued. "I grew up there until two years ago when Stella accidentally ended up there fleeing from Knut. It's a long and unrelated story," she quickly said, as she noticed Maia's expression. "Anyway, I went to Alfea and... And do those clouds look worrisome to you?" Bloom pointed ahead at dark bank of clouds that was steadily approaching.

"Eh, nothing to worry about," Maia dismissively said. "So you were saying?"  
"Well, ehm, I, well, I started at Alfea." Bloom felt her heart started pumping heavily as the clouds got closer and closer. "And, well, then I met Techna. Who became a good fr _AAAAARRRGGGHHH!_ " she yelled as a massive blast of wind hit her. She stumbled back as the unrelenting force of nature pressed against her body.  
"YOU'LL HAVE TO SPEAK LOUDER!" Maia called through the wind. "ALSO, YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY! SO YOU BECAME FRIENDS WITH TECHNA! THEN WHAT?!"  
"WHAT!? WIND! HELP!" Bloom screamed as she stumbled farther away from the ogre. She fell over backwards and began rolling along the grass, until Maia's solid grip locked around her arm and began dragging her along. As Bloom hung from her hand, floating in the wind like a redheaded kite, she could hear the ogre's annoyed mumble about the fragility humans. Five minutes later, she had been dragged into a nearby cave, one much like the one she, Knut and Belisma had sought refuge in.

"Alright then, is there anything else?" Maia asked annoyed.

"Ehm, no. Getting out of the storm was all that U needed," Bloom sharply replied. "Look, I just don't have your..." She paused. "Weight."  
"Start eating some more, then," the ogre grunted. "You're such a lightweight. So you became friends with Techna."  
"Yes. We became really good friends. But Valtor, he had been captured and sent to Omega. Until half a year ago. He escaped and started wrecking havoc, stealing powerful magic from different places. The portal from Omega, however, was still open. And broken, thanks to him. It went crazy and Techna sacrificed herself to close it." Bloom's hands tightened into fists. "I sought out Valtor. I wanted to crush him. Break him. Make him feel just a sliver of the pain he put me through. He's so... So smug and egotistical. A bloated ego in an overly fancy suit. I just... I just wanted him to feel what I felt. I wanted him to feel my pain." She stopped, drying the tears that had started flowing. "But I-I failed. He was too strong. I only got out because Faragonda and my friends saved me. Had it not been for them... So-so that's why I need to become stronger. When Valtor used his magic, he could manipulate me like a puppet. I never want to experience that again. And that's why I need your help." Bloom looked pleadingly at Maia.

"Wow, easy there. Calm down. I already said I would train you." Maia sat down besides Bloom and gently patted her on the back. "I too know how loss feels. I've lost friends to tribal battles, natural disasters and wild animals. So don't think I can't sympathise." She paused. "You have a lot of anger in you. But I get the feeling it's not just because of this Valtor."  
"No," Bloom sighed. "It's everything. I'm still trying to become a good royal, but it seems many would rather just have I get some babies already. Faragonda's been the only reason I haven't been hounded by the press. And it seems no matter what, disaster follows me. This is the third year and things just keep going wrong. First the Usurpers, then Darkar and now this." Tears were flowing freely. "And-and every time people get hurt. People suffer. People die. It-it's frustrating. And now... Now one of those who died was one of my-my best friends. I just... I just want to be strong enough to protect people. I don't want to feel like this ever again." She sniffled.

"I see. It's a lot of weight that has been placed on your shoulders." Maia slowly nodded. "And a lot of frustration and anger has sprouted from it. But Bloom, you risk having that anger control you. It has grown strong, nurtured by your hate and anguish. Before we strengthen your inner dragon, we must make sure you can control your rage. I cannot make your anger disappear. Only time will tell if it will ever die down again. But I can help you remain in control of it." She looked Bloom straight in the eyes. "Do you know why?"  
"Because of what I did," Bloom sighed. "I know now that it was stupid. I charged straight ahead, more busy thinking of what I would do to Valtor rather than considering if I even _could_ do it. I tried to sound righteous, but honestly I just wanted to beat the snot out of him."

"Indeed. Instinct like a dragon," Maia said. "But you must remain in control or you will get yourself or others hurt. That is the part of your inner dragon's nature that you must learn to control." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Speaking of dragons, you know what has always confused me? Considering how fragile and small you humans are, how the dragonsbreath did your ancestors ever mate with a dragon? I mean, even the small ones seem like they might be too much for you."  
Bloom was still for a moment. Then she started chuckling. Slowly the chuckling became roaring laughter. "Thanks. I needed that," she sniffed, still occasionally giggling.

"Just being a good teacher," Maia replied. "Fun times aside, it really is something I've been wondering."

...

The Red Fountain ship began its slow descent through the chilling atmosphere of Omega. Below was the almost perpetually dark and frozen realm.

Cordatorta shuddered as he saw it. His breath was visible in the chilled atmosphere, as they had to lower the heat in order to avoid detection. "So," he began, addressing the pilot. "How close are we?"

"Five minutes at most, sir," the pilot replied. "Though I will also have to find a suitable landing spot. That might take some more time."

"I see. Very well, keep her steady." Cordatorta turned and watched the students under his command, clad in thick and solid winter gear. Small clouds puffed out of the masks they wore to protect their faces from the chilling cold. "Alright, remember to stay close to each other and stay in radio contact. The terrain is treacherous, so we want to act quickly should anything happen. We'll be landing shortly, so be ready. There will be no breaks."

"I'm freezing my balls off in here," Riven grumbled, as Cordatorta returned to the pilot. "Wasn't this thing supposed to keep us warm?"  
"It is. And normally they also have active enchantments that help," one of the other soldiers explained over the radio. "But the animals of Omega, the few species that do exist, are really good at hunting by detecting heat. That's also why stuff like the ship's heater is turned off."

"Yeah, if it wasn't, we would be overrun the moment we stepped out," a female soldier chimed in.

"Could that be what went wrong?" Helia inquired. "Could they possibly have forgotten to turn the heat off?"

"I guess, but it seems unlikely," another speculated. "These were professionals and they were specifically going to Omega to investigate. No, I'd wager it was an incident during the landing. Probably hit something that broke the radio."  
"But those things are so solid they have higher survival rates during crashes than the actual crew," another pointed out.

"Alright, we're landing," Cordatorta barked, and the people of Red Fountain could feel the slight sense of vertigo as they descended. "Due to lack of available space, we've landed a little bit away from the portal site. Ten minutes of walking by current estimates, but terrain may dictate that it will take longer. So let's go." Cordatorta put on his own mask and marched out the back, the soldiers following him as he passed by. The back hatch opened and they marched out into the cold air of Omega.

The snow creaked under their feet, flashlights casting spooky glows across the frozen landscape.

"Lovely place," Riven commented. "Definitely an incentive not to get sent here."

"Could make for a fine picture," Helia said in awe. "It's actually kinda beautiful. I think that if I..."

Somebody yelped and the entire group stopped.

"Karl? Was that you?" Cordatorta asked over the radio.

"Ye-yes. Nothing wrong, sir. Just got surprised. Got a body," the soldier named Karl said as he got back on his feet. "Accidentally kicked it. Was laying in a snowdrift."

The others moved over to see. The body had been in the pile for a long while, its skin having the consistency and look of old parchment. The shapes of bones were visible beneath the desiccated frame and an eyeless face stared up at them, its mouth frozen open in a silent scream. Ragged clothes covered part of the cadaver, though most had been torn off.

"Couldn't be a member of the team. Too old," one student stated. "I'd say either human or elf. Probably dead from exposure. What remains of the clothes indicate they weren't very protective." There was a slight pause as the soldier inspected the corpse closer. "I think he or she fell from one of the upper ledges. Leg's broken. Got buried in snow before anything could find him or her."  
"Sad. But we can't do anything. Poor bastard won't even be picked up for a proper funeral," Cordatorta commented. "We have to get moving. There are some still alive people that need our help, before they end up like that. Let's move."

"Yes sir," the soldiers echoed, as they followed Cordatorta deeper into the frozen wasteland.

...

The storm had passed again. This had struck Bloom as a surprise, but Maia had explained that such quick changes in the weather were to be expected and mostly ignored. The redhead felt that only now was she truly getting why the ogres were such a hardy people. Experiencing their homeworld on her own was very different from just hearing or reading about it.

"Here's how we shall train," Maia explained, as she casually uprooted a young tree with her hands. "I'll create some basic targets. Nothing fancy, mind you. And then I want you to blast them. But," she said, turning to Bloom. "I want you to use focused blasts. Like with the dragon."  
"Why will that help me? I've already proven that I could do that," Bloom inquired nonplussed.

"What emotion did you feel when you blasted the dragon?" Maia asked.

"Ehm... I wanted to protect Knut."  
The ogre made a move with her hand indicating that answered everything. "You will call upon your anger for this exercise. From what you tell me, usually you just let loose when you do so. It can be a viable solution, but not always. But only through control can your learn to focus while still calling upon your anger to fuel the breath of your inner dragon. Now then, summon your rage."  
"Are you... Are you sure?" Bloom asked carefully.

"Do I sound unsure? Did I stutter?" Maia grunted in annoyance. "Call upon your rage. We're trying to tame it, right? Can't do that if it's not here."  
"Oh. Okay. I'll try," Bloom carefully said and closed her eyes. It wasn't hard. The mental image of her brother always incensed her. The idea of him chilling in his office without a care in the world, completely absorbed by himself even as people suffered by his hand. Bloom's teeth scoured against each other. Heat spread in her body as her magic became erratic.

"Okay then. That looks angry enough. Try hitting the target," Maia said and threw a hunk of wood in the air.

Bloom opened her eyes, pointed her hand and a wave of flames flowed out in a massive cone, obliterating the target. She breathed heavily as the fire died down.

Maia stared at her unimpressed, before rubbing the slightly scorched top of her head. "Right," she began. "I can see this will take some time. I'll repeat myself. You are to focus. Little beam, small target. Not just disgorge your power like a baby who's overeaten. You must practise restraint."  
"It ain't exactly easy," Bloom shot back, annoyance in her voice.  
"And when did I say it would be?" Maia asked, no traces of sympathy in her voice. "If it was easy, I could have sent you a self-help booklet in the mail, rather than having you come out here. Now, call upon it again."  
"Already? Again?" Bloom asked. "But I just..."  
"Am I stuttering today? Yes, I said again. Here's your target, now get mad. What, did you expect a five-hour break with free pedicure between tries? No, nose to the grindstone. Again. Now," she barked. "Maybe you'll learn not to let loose like that when you've thoroughly drained yourself. If that's how you plan on shooting these targets, then I promise you, I've got more targets than you've got shots. So get to it."

Bloom growled. The combination of thinking of Valtor and Maia's lambasting did wonders for her anger, easily stoking its fires. The ogre threw another wooden part into the air and Bloom tried to focus. For but a second, the redhead managed to blast through it with a beam, before the emotion within her broke through the dam. The beam widened, becoming a roaring inferno that danced across the sky.

"Wow. Two whole seconds. I am so not impressed," Maia said. "Again."  
"But..."  
"Targets, not butts. Get to it. I've got all day if need be and so do you."

...

"Contact," one of the soldiers said. "Science vessel just ahead."

The group moved into the frozen valley. Inlaid in the floor were several stone circles that had once been part of the portal. Now, they were all cracked and splintered. The nearby sheds that had housed supplies and equipment for guards had collapsed and were now buried in snow. The walls had a strange wavering quality to them, indicating that they had been melted and then refrozen.

"Alright. Spread out and check for clues," Cordatorta ordered. "Stay in radio contact and use your scanners to check for possible signals."  
Riven walked up to the ship, Helia besides him. The hangar door was open and boxes had been moved out. "Strange. Seems like they made it down here just fine. Not a single scratch on the ship."

"Then whatever happened did so after they already started unpacking," Helia murmured and entered the ship. The insides were pristine. A half-eaten sandwich lay on a counter, its content frozen by the low temperature. "No signs of struggle. But it looks like they left in a hurry. My guess is that something happened and everybody still inside dropped everything. But then what?"  
"Hey, I found some blood," a female soldier reported over the radio. "It's staining a rather large rock over by the western entrance. I'd wager somebody hit something with it."  
"Stranger and stranger. Any clues from the snow?" Cordatorta asked.

"Yeah. Seems like there was a lot of walking about. Running even," another soldier reported. "Hey, Mark, you're usually good at this. Mark? Mark, are you there?"

A chill ran down Riven's spine as they exited the ship. Something was wrong.

"Have anyone seen Mark?" Cordatorta barked.

"He was here just a _URGHF_!"

"Jenette? Jenette? Everyone, group together, NOW!" the dragonmaster ordered.

Helia followed Riven towards the the others when he noticed something. It was faint, but in the small difference created by the starlight, he could see shadows move above them. Helia looked over his shoulder and pushed Riven to the side as a large rock came crashing down.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Helia yelled over the radio. "THEY'RE UP ON THE CLIFFSIDES!"

Several students drew their weapons, but were interrupted by a rumbling sound. Suddenly, a large amount of snow crashed down the side, sweeping several students off their feet and burying them in the frozen substance. Cordatorta tried to get out of the way, but the mass of white smashed into the back of his legs and knocked him off balance. He fell backwards, crashing hard against the cold and frozen floor. He gasped as he tried to recover and opened his eyes, starring into the barrel of a rifle.

"Don't move," the wielder growled. As the soldiers tried to recover, dozens more people descended, armed with a mix of ranged and melee weaponry. All were clad in heavy and warm clothes, many even wrapped in wyrm skin. Their faces were inscrutable, hidden behind protective masks. From the looks of them, most seemed to be either human, elven or leprechaun. But there was also an ogre, threateningly pointing an ogre-sized shotgun at one of the soldiers.

"Nobody try anything stupid," Cordatorta warned the others over the radio. "They've got us outnumbered, outmanoeuvred and outgunned." Turning to the man with the rifle, he asked. "So who are you people?"  
"We're the Wyrmfang Gang and you... You are our hostages. If you wish to live, you will comply with everything we say." The man paused. "Don't look so surprised. Did you really imagine that nobody could live here? Well, I suppose that is why we were sent here," he sneered. "Men, get them up and in chains. We'll take them to the others."  
"So you were the ones who abducted them," the dragonmaster stated.

"Oh yes. And fortunately, your pilot was kind enough to send a message before we got him," the man said, as Cordatorta was pulled up and handcuffed. "Our scrambler will of course make the message illegible, but we expect another ship to show up soon."  
"What do you want with us?" Cordatorta asked.

"We want out. And I don't care how many of you I have to kill to make that happen," the gang leader growled. "So you better behave or we'll use your broken body as wyrmbait."

...

"Well... You are improving. Or possibly you're too low on energy to just blast the targets away," Maia mused.

"I'm... Done... For," Bloom gasped as she fell back on the grass. "Out of... Energy. I'm thirsty... I'm hungry... I'm taking a break." As if to punctuate, Bloom's stomach growled fiercely.

"Hmph. Well, I suppose you have earned it. I did bring some snacks. Figured we wouldn't have time for hunting," Maia said as she began inspecting her backpack. "Now then, do you like..." She paused and began sniffing. She looked up. "We've got visitors," she growled.

Bloom groaned as she slowly got up and stared across the plains. Several shapes were indeed slowly getting closer. "Oh no," Bloom groaned. "Not them. Wait... Is that..." She gasped. She had recognised the three Usurpers, but now she also recognised Sky, slowly marching towards them with a dull expression on his face.

"Hello, Bloom," Darcy said as they got within earshot.

The redhead stared angrily, before noticing the two other people. A rather annoyed Brandon was tapping his foot, while Diaspro looked like somebody who'd rather just dig herself down into a hole. "Great. I can see you brought Miss Helpful along."  
Diaspro seemed to shrink at the barbed comment.

"I get the feeling I should not be welcoming towards you," Maia growled. "This is Dragonsoul territory. So I suggest you scram before I make you sorry."  
"Relax. We're just here for Bloom," Stormy said. "Her brother wants her taken care of."  
"Oh, so now he's sending you to kill me. Well, I'm at least happy to hear he considers me a threat," the redhead replied. "Also, that's a really ugly poncho."

Icy snorted, caught between amusement and annoyance.

"First off, I happen to like this poncho. Secondly, he wants you captured, not killed," Stormy elaborated. "Plus, he's just getting kinda annoyed with you constantly interfering."

"Did you hear that Bloom. Your big bro doesn't want you hanging around while he's doing his big boy stuff," Brandon yelled, causing Bloom to chuckle.

"Shut it," Icy hissed. "Anyway, despite how much I'd love to finally be rid of you, Valtor insists it will not be so. But whatever. You're weak and vulnerable, with only a single ogre to help you. And Valtor never said we had to bring you back uninjured."  
"So you are well aware that I plan on just sitting on my butt somewhere and watching you get beaten, right?" Brandon informed the witches.

"Why exactly did we bring him along?" Stormy asked.

"Diaspro insisted," Darcy replied. "You better keep an eye on him."  
"I-I am," the blonde noble said with a nod.

Maia cracked her knuckles. "Getting the feeling this won't be settled peacefully."  
"Not if you're actually..." Icy started. She was cut off by Maia suddenly lashing out, kicking a rock. The stone projectile hit the white-haired witch square in the stomach. Her eyes bugged out and she crumbled on the ground as she fought to keep her dinner from being ejected.

Stormy immediately charged, lightning dancing across her mace. Maia swung her massive fist, but the wild-haired witch ducked under the blow and rolled across the ground .As she unfurled she swung her weapon, smashing it against the back of Maia's knee. The ogre growled and tried to smash Maria with her elbow, but she just barely jumped out of reach. Stormy prepared to attack again when several plants shot up and began enveloping her legs. "Stupid fucking weeds," she growled, charging lightning through her body. "I don't have time for this shit." The energy burnt the offending plants into crisp and she looked up to refocus on the ogre. Only to see Maia barrelling towards her. The wild-haired witch made a quick decision and dove forward, rolling between the ogre's legs. Maia halted her charge and turned, preparing to attack again.

Bloom had wanted to assist her teacher, but was currently busy trying to avoid being hit by Sky's sword. "Sky, it's me," she insisted, jumping back. "I don't want to hurt you. Snap out of it."

The blond prince did not seem to care, mechanically continuing his attack.

Bloom dodged back again and bit her lip. She didn't want to, but it was as Riven had said. She had to hurt him to help him. She was low on energy and sore from the training. Maia needed help. There was no way she could keep this up forever.

"Sorry, Sky," she said apologetically and charged her remaining magic. "I hope you can forgive me." She was about to attack, aiming to take out the prince's legs, when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Something black creeping along the ground. The redhead jumped back again as Darcy leapt out of the shadow, swinging her daggers at her.

Bloom got ready to blast her once she had pulled out of range of the poisoned blades, but Darcy conjured a bubble of darkness around her. Acutely aware that she had no way to navigate under such circumstances, the redhead summoned as much energy as she could and blasted fire in all directions, forcing both Darcy and Sky to back off.

Icy slowly struggled back on her feet, with support from her staff. Her stomach felt like one big bruise, but she derived some satisfaction from Bloom's peril. She noticed Diaspro standing beside her and growled. "Would you make yourself useful already."  
"But I'm keeping an eye on Brandon," Diaspro tried.

"I'll keep an eye on Brandon if that's so important," Icy snarled. "Just help Darcy take down Bloom so we can all help Stormy. She can't keep that brute at bay forever."  
"O-okay," Diaspro said and took a step forward. She raised her arm, gemstones loosening from her clothes and jewellery. They began circulating her arm, some of them collecting into a solid ball. Slowly, she took aim.  
"Would you get it over with already," Icy hissed.

Diaspro aimed. She took a deep breath and softly said: "I'm sorry." Then she fired.

The projectile flew across the plains and struck true.

Darcy was launched forward and face-planted into the ground.

Icy blinked. "You missed you stupid, blind bi _IIIIEEEGGGHHH!"_ she shrieked, as a gemstone encrusted fist smashed into her already sore stomach.

"On the contrary, Isabella. I didn't," Diaspro said, before retracting her arm and upper-cutting the white-haired witch. She could feel the jaw crack from the force and Icy felt back with a wheezing howl.

"Ehm, Diaspro. What the fuck are you doing?" Stormy asked uncertainly.

"Making a choice," the blonde noble said. "Don't question it. It's all really confusing."  
"Back up the ogre. I got a prince to help," Brandon said as he drew his sword and charged.

Stormy's glance shifted between Maia and Diaspro, looking very much like she wanted to be somewhere completely different.

Darcy was dizzy, the impact having caused a powerful sense of vertigo. She tried to get up and focus, but was knocked back down as Brandon passed by, taking the time to smash her in the head with his pommel.

Bloom breathed heavily as she stumbled back. She had finally run out of energy and now Sky was closing in. He raised his weapon, then suddenly spun, barely blocking Brandon's powerful blow. His shield arm buckled as he tried to hold the squire back. Suddenly, the force behind the shield increased and Brandon was launched back. A lot more emotion had entered Sky's eyes as he turned towards Diaspro.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," he said. "I really did expect better of you, Diaspro. Especially after everything I've done for you."  
" _Valtor_ ," Bloom hissed.

"In a moment, sis. I'll just have to deal with this first," Valtor said through Sky, using the same dismissive tone of voice one would use if telling somebody off while on the phone. "You know, if you really wanted out, you could have said so. I would gladly have let you go back to enjoying your life."  
"That's the thing," Diaspro said as she ceased pelting Maria with gemstones. "I didn't enjoy it. And now, I've realised why. I've never known or really thought about what I would enjoy. Just what I've been told to. But I do know what I don't enjoy. Turning people into puppets. And that's when I realised it. You claimed to be doing me a favour, but you didn't. You just perpetuated the same things I've been told all my life. Well, no more, Valtor. I'm done living like that. I'm going to find out what I want in my life. I don't know how, but I will find out. Without your help." She punctuated her sentence by flinging a storm of projectiles at the possessed prince, who easily dodged out of the way.

"While I am happy for you that you have managed this burst of personal development, I do not appreciate how it has inspired you to interfere," he commented. "I get enough of that from my sister, thank you very much. But if that's how you want to play." He smiled as Sky's body began straining against its armour. "Then let's play."

"NO!" a voice roared. Everyone who could turned to look at Maia. "I've heard enough," she grunted as she stomped forward. "Not only have you defiled the sanctity of the Dragonsoul tribe's land, corrupted the innocent and worse. You havealso threatened my student. And that is unacceptable. You will leave these lands now, foul magi."  
"Ehm, I'm not actually here. Just, you know, controlling him," Valtor mentioned.

"Then I shall banish your spirit. Your inner dragon may indeed be strong. But it's not here." Plants started sprouting around Maia's feet. "BEGONE!" She focused her magic into one of her tribe's ancient rituals and channelled it with the full force of her dragonflame at Valtor.

"What... Is... This...?" Valtor struggled to speak through Sky. The prince's muscles began shrinking to natural proportions. "That is... Something... Else... Alright..." Far away in Cloud Tower, Valtor began channelling his dragonflame to force the connection to stay stable.  
"YOU WILL LEAVE!" Maia bellowed, as the ground around her became covered in greenery. "I CAST YOU OUT!"

Valtor scowled. His control was slipping. "Very well..." he hissed. "But this... This isn't over yet." He struggled to turn towards Bloom. "Stay out... Of my way, Phila... Faragonda will not... Be there to... Save you every time."  
"I know," Bloom coldly said. "Next time will be different."  
Valtor glared at her one last time, before his essence was ejected. Sky fell to the ground, like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

"Is he okay?" the redhead asked as Brandon rushed to the fallen prince's aid.  
"Yeah. I think he's just unconscious." The squire began inspecting him, then sighed. "The mark is still there."

"Then let us get back to our city. We can put him under protection until he can be cured," Maia grunted.

"We should probably contact Alfea. I know Wizgiz was looking into developing a proper counterspell." the Dominian princess said. "Wait, where did the witches go?"  
The four of them looked around.

"Ah, out there," Maia said and pointed. "Fleeing on a tornado."  
"Should have knocked Stormy out when I had the chance," Diaspro commented. She noticed everyone was looking at her. She sighed. "I know. I've done great harm. I surrender and accept whatever punishment you find necessary." As proof, she raised her hands.

"That's up to the courts of Eraklyon," Brandon said. "But for what it's worth, I think you did the right thing."  
Diaspro turned to Bloom. "I am deeply sorry," she softly said. "I really did think I was doing what was best for us all. I know now I just didn't know better. But that does not excuse the pain and misery I've inflicted. I don't expect forgiveness, but I just want you to know that I am deeply and truly sorry for all I've done. I only wish I could have realised it sooner."

Bloom sighed. "I'm still mad at you," she admitted. "But I get it. You were born into that stuffy nightmare. I've seen how it is. And for you to realise how stupid that is... That's something." She paused. "I still think there should be consequences, but I'll definitely support not making it harsh, for what that's worth."  
"From the regent to-be of Domino? A lot actually," Brandon commented. "Now, shall we get him back. I'd rather not have him ending up possessed again."

"Does that mean training is over for today?" Bloom asked.

"Only because I have to haul this guy back to the village," Maia grunted, as she swung Sky over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Otherwise I'd just consider this to be a pop quiz. Consider yourself lucky. We'll get back to training tomorrow."

The four of them started their trek back to Firetop Mountain. As they did, Bloom couldn't help but smile. "Maia. Do you think I can learn that magic you used against Valtor?"  
"Sure. As an honorary member, you're allowed to learn such things," Maia said. "But don't expect it to be as efficient. You're still a novice."

Bloom nodded, a new realization filling her. Her brother wasn't that invincible after all.


	17. Rescue on Omega

Chapter 17: Rescue on Omega

Maia ripped the piece of paper from the hospital's printer and began reading.

Bloom stood behind her and despite her worries, she couldn't help being amused by the sight of an ogre using a printer. It went so much against typical fantasy.

"That Wizgiz fella sure knows what he is doing," Maia approvingly grunted. "With just a few changes, we could incorporate the Dragonsoul's purification ritual."  
"So we can cure Sky?" the redhead excitedly asked.

"Sure seems that way. It's really complicated though. Meant to undo every single layer of the curse. But that is apparently necessary." The ogre eyed the comatose form of Sky. She had earlier, along with two ogre healers and two dragonflame wielders, tried to completely remove Valtor's influence from Sky. It had not worked. "Give me a moment and I'll talk with the others about how we'll do this."

"Alright," Bloom said and walked over to sit beside Brandon and Diaspro, who were also awaiting the results.

"It... It can be removed, right?" the blond noble inquired.

"Seems like Wizgiz' studies have paid off," Bloom said. "Nothing is guaranteed, but I trust that Wizgiz and Maia know what they're doing."

"If it works, do you think they'll share?" Brandon asked. "I mean, sounds like that ritual is ancient tribal magic. They might not be eager to just hand it out."  
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," the redhead commented.

The ogres finished their rumbling conversation and gathered around the bed Sky was lying in.

Bloom gripped the edge of her seat and held her breath. The moment had come.

The ogres went silent as they, led by Maia, began the ritual. The air became filled with the electric charge of gathering magic. It began intensifying, focusing on the mark on the prince's hand. Gently, it began interfacing with the spellwork, slowly but surely undoing every layer of the curse. One by one, its components were unravelled and reduced to pure magical energy. Bloom bit her lip. It seemed as if the minutes became hours as they intently waited for the results.  
Finally, the ogres stopped channelling. Thick silence filled the room as the ogres carefully inspected their work.

Maia turned from the sleeping prince and declared: "We did it."

"YES!" Bloom yelled, as she jumped out of her seat.  
Brandon breathed a sigh of relief and said: "So that means we can counter Valtor's seals from now on."  
"I wouldn't call it bulletproof," Maia warned him. "It takes a lot of energy and concentration."  
"Will you be sending the ritual back to Alfea?" Bloom concernedly asked. "We kinda need it to free people."

Maia eyed the scroll with the slightly modified ritual. "Valtor is as much a threat to us as to you," she finally said. "So yes, I'll authorise the use of this ritual. It is more Wizgiz' design that ours anyway, so I do not feel we have the right to lay claim to it."

"So what about the sleeping beauty there?" Brandon asked, eyeing his prince.

"He'll probably be sleeping for a while. Hopefully he'll wake up soon enough." Maia returned her attention to Bloom. "Now, I will not have as much time for you tomorrow. The recent attack on us is a very serious matter and I happen to know we're not the only tribe that has been affected by Valtor. We're going to come together and demand that the realms start doing something about this renegade magi." A predatory smile manifested on her face. "And if they don't, we'll take care of Valtor for them. But I sincerely doubt they want an army of ogres marching through their worlds. Anyway, that means I will not have much time to train you tomorrow, if at all. Maybe a little in the evening, though don't count on it. So instead of waiting for this hypothetical training, I'll just give you this right now." She reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a medallion similar to her own. "This marks you as one of those blessed with an inner dragon," she said, as she placed it around the stunned redhead's neck. "Also, it's a good visual reminder, in case you start forgetting the basic principles. Don't want to start all over again, after all."

Bloom stared at the gift. "Thank you," she softly said.

"Ehm, what about me?" Diaspro asked. "Do I have to go to jail?"  
"Why should you?" Maia asked. "To prevent you from running into the dragon-filled wastelands?"  
The noble blonde thought about it for a moment. "Then what shall I do if you do not intend to lock me up?"  
"Well, if you could make yourself useful, then that would be great," the ogre grunted.

Diaspro looked completely lost. Not as if she didn't have any intentions of helping, but as if she had absolutely no idea how she should go about being helpful.

Maia groaned and mumbled: "Nobles."  
"Maybe all three of us can do something useful together if I don't have to train anyway," Bloom suggested. "Sky too if he wakes up. Is there anything you need help with?"  
"Hmm, well I know I personally don't need anything."  
"We could go check up on the ship we came in," Brandon said. "There are some supplies aboard and we can use the radio to easily contact Red Fountain and Eraklyon."  
"Can't we just contact them from here?" Bloom asked.

"Well, yes, technically we could. It would just take a really long time, because everything has to be verified a thousand times over, if you don't have the official communication codes and such," Brandon replied. "Red Fountain changes theirs regularly and I wasn't trusted with the Eraklian one. And I doubt Sky or Diaspro can remember it."  
"Sadly, no," the noble admitted.

"But they did write it down before we left. That paper is still back at the ship. Thing is, if we can verify our identity to Eraklyon, then we can confirm it to Red Fountain through them. Saves us some time," the squire finished. Then he yawned. "But for now, how about we go to bed?"  
"Yeah, it's been a long day," Bloom agreed. "Goodnight, Maia."  
"G'night. You know where the bed is."

...

"Why... Why did you land all the way out here?" Bloom moaned, as she wiped the sweat off her brow. Point Heatstroke had been aptly named. A rocky rise out in the middle of nowhere with little to no water, shade or vegetation.

"Because few ogres bother to go out here. They also dislike the heat," Diaspro answered. She looked much smaller now, no longer enveloped in fancy dress, but instead clad in practical clothes. She had also had to drop her makeup and setting her hair, due to a lack of supplies. If Bloom had just run into her like that on the street, she would never have recognised her.

"Makes sense." The Dominian princess turned and eyed Sky, who was walking in front of them. The prince had awoken earlier that morning and had agreed to come out and take a look at the ship. She felt slightly worried for him. He had been very silent, spending most of the trip deep in thought. Something Brandon had described as incredibly uncharacteristic, which had prompted him to jokingly ask if he was still possessed. After failing to get a rise out of the blond for the third time, the squire had apparently decided to leave Sky to mull things over in peace. The prince's silence also seemed to be affecting Diaspro. She kept eyeing him and looked more and more like she was about to have a nervous breakdown.

They arrived at the ship, a medium-sized luxury vessel, and Diaspro opened the cargo bay door. Sky walked in, gently resting against a wall. Then he walked into the room, towards the cockpit, the others quietly following him. He suddenly stopped, silent like an ancient philosopher contemplating his place in the universe. Finally, he turned towards the others and began: "Diaspro..."  
"I'M SORRY!" the blonde noble suddenly exploded, making both Brandon and Bloom jump. "I know I've been horrible towards you. I tried to do what was best for us all and I failed. I completely bought into the worldview my family force-fed me. You can't tell me or call me anything I haven't already said to myself and I doubt that you could come up with a punishment that could match my crimes." Tears dripped from her cheeks. "But I just want you to know that I am truly sorry and I will spend what's left of my life on trying to turn over a new leaf." She quietly sobbed into her hands, her pent up emotions finally out.

Sky looked very uncomfortable. "Ehm... I'm happy... That you want to improve. But, ehm, actually, I was just going to ask, like, if you have any idea how I'm going to explain to Dad that, ehm, that we're not getting married. Again."

"That's what you've been pondering?" Brandon asked.  
"Well... Yeah. I mean, that part Diaspro said was of course also really important. And it's good that we got it out here," the blond quickly added. "I just... Hadn't thought much... About that. Or at all, if I have to be completely honest."  
Diaspro stared at him in utter disbelief. The sheer shock caused by his reply had completely stopped her crying.

"There's the Sky we know," Bloom sighed.

"But if it's any comfort, I'll advise Dad that we find a way to help you," Sky promised.

"I... I think I need to sit down for a moment," Diaspro said as she placed herself on a crate.

"Good idea. Sky, codes are in the cockpit. Get in contact and get us some updates," Brandon ordered. "Meanwhile, Bloom, could you help me get some of these supplies out? I'd like to give it to the Dragonsoul ogres as thanks."

"Sure thing," the redhead replied. She and the brunette squire began selecting different crates and carried them out, as Sky went into the cockpit.

As Bloom came in for the third crate, Diaspro got up and asked: "Can I help?"  
"Sure." The redhead turned and said: "Brandon, could you sort things and such? Diaspro will be helping me in here."  
"Sure thing."  
"Alright, just get a good grip on the handles," Bloom advised, as the two of them walked over to another crate. "And remember, lift with your legs. That's healthiest."

"Alright. I'll try," Diaspro said and began to lift her end. "Ehm. Hmphf. Irk. Just... Just give me a moment. Herf." The redhead showed great patience as they together slowly lifted the crate. Then they moved three steps and then Diaspro quickly said: "Fingers hurt. Fingers hurt."  
As they took a short break so Diaspro could rest her sore fingers, Bloom asked: "So, do you feel better?"  
"I just... I expected him to be mad. I thought he was silent because he was fuming, trying to figure out how to punish me." Her finger popped as she rubbed it, causing her to wince. "But... He didn't care. Or he hadn't thought enough about it to care. It's just... Bizarre."  
"That's Sky for you," the redhead mumbled. "He means well. He has a good heart and a good head, when he deigns to use it."  
"Is that why you fell in love with him?" Diaspro asked.

Within a few seconds, the redhead's face matched the colour of her hair. "I... I never said that..." She sighed. "I suppose there's no point in denying it. We were going to start dating again. Things have been... Weird. Especially since that whole fiasco at Red Fountain two years ago. But I was willing to give him a chance, but then..." She went silent, trying not to look Diaspro in the eyes.

"I know. I happened," the noble sadly commented.

"How did my brother convince you anyway?" Bloom asked. "You seemed to be doing a lot better after we saved you from the Patchamen."

"Ah, so he really is your brother. I was wondering." Diaspro paused. "To answer your question, I never went home after that incident. My family did everything to keep me in Eraklyon, constantly trying to convince the king that I should marry Sky. When that failed... well, then they sent me a letter, telling me that I was a fiasco and that I should do my family a favour and take the first and best marriage offer I could get. While they also sent a letter to the king, reminding him that I was in my most fertile years and would be so for quite some time thanks to my magic."  
Bloom had to remove her hands from the crate to prevent herself from setting it on fire.

"And that's when Valtor gave me the offer. Promised me he could fix everything," the blonde continued. "And the rest you know."  
"Don't I," Bloom angrily mumbled. She made a sweeping motion with her hand and angrily ranted: "Why do those goddamn, stuck up, narrow-minded, outdated nobles insist on seeing us as breeding machines? Is that all we're good for? Popping out babies?"  
"It's not so much that as the fact that men can't. Without severe modifications most aren't willing to undergo, anyway," Diaspro pointed out.

"But still..." Bloom insisted. "I had to face the same thing. People being angry that I dared get an education rather than spending my time getting pregnant. It's so outdated and sexist. The hell is wrong with people?" She stopped and took a deep breath. "Okay. Fair enough. I can see why you did what you did. I mean, I'm still all sorts of pissed and I want to see you work hard to improve, but I can see why you ended up where you did." She paused. "And if you need help, just ask. Nobody deserves to go through what you've experienced."  
"Thank you," Diaspro said earnestly. "I cannot begin to tell you how much that..."  
With a clang, the cargo bay door shut.

"Why did it do that?" Bloom asked.

Suddenly, the entire ship set in motion and the two girls stumbled as acceleration hit them with extreme force.

"What's going on!?" Diaspro called, clinging to a crate.

"I have my suspicions," the Dominian princess grumpily replied. "SKY! SKY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Her stomach lurched as the ship began sharply ascending. She began forcing her way through the cargo bay, grumbling all the way. Through the window, she could see them breaching the atmosphere. She reached the door and struggled to open it. "Come on you... Stupid... Thing..." He jaws tightened as she fought the stubborn handle of the door. "I need... To get... Through... You inconsiderate... Piece of... Junk metal... Alright... Here we... GO!" she exclaimed as she successfully tore the door open. She forced her way into a cockpit and yelled. "SKY! WHAT IN GOD'S NAME DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"  
"We have to hurry," the blond prince reported, fingers dancing across the control panels. "I just got a message from Red Fountain. Apparently, Timmy went to Omega and disappeared. Then Riven and Helia went there too and they also disappeared. Along with Cordatorta. And I think there were also some other people. They need help."

"And what about me and Diaspro? We almost got flattened against the wall," Bloom angrily pointed out.  
"Wait, but I said... Oh. The intercom is off. Oh dear." The blond looked very guilty. "So-sorry about that. I didn't notice."

"Fantastic," the redhead flatly commented. "And what about Brandon?"  
"What about him?" Sky asked.

"Well, first of all, he's not on the ship," the redhead pointed out.

"He isn't?"  
Back down on the ground, Brandon stared at the point in the skies where the ship had vanished. Then he looked around at the several heavy boxes of supplies and at the vast landscape of burning hot rocks and sand. Then he turned towards the heavens, took a deep breath and bellowed: "WHAT IN THE GREAT DRAGON'S NAME IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

...

Timmy breathed into his hands and rubbed them together, hoping to alleviate some of the cold. He had wrapped himself in every single blanket the Wyrmscales had placed in the cell, since he had no one to share with. The frozen dungeons were carved from the glacial ice that covered much of Omega and the only protection was the clothes they themselves had brought and the worst surplus carpets the Wyrmscales had. It was less than great, but better than suffering from frost burn and the like.

Footsteps echoed against the ice outside his cell and the bespectacled warrior looked up. His sense of time had yet to fail him, so he was certain it wasn't feeding time. Which meant they were here either to pick somebody up or put somebody in one of the cells. The door to his cell rattled as a guard unlocked it and roughly shoved two people in.

"Riven? Helia?" Timmy said as he recognised the two. "How did you two end up here?"  
"Well, we came to rescue you," Riven commented, rubbing his sore wrists. "So far, we've found you. So now we just need to figure out the whole rescue part."

"What's going on here?" Helia asked, as Timmy began sharing his carpets with them. "We were told the worst we could run into here was ice wyrms, not rampaging gangs."

"Yes. That is quite a new and surprising development," Timmy began. "As far as I've been able to gather, it's another effect of the portal's collapse. Numerous stasis capsules were drained of magical power, unleashing dozens of criminals at once. They in turn have been breaking others out of their pods, of which there are plenty. There's at least four gangs around here, maybe more. They don't tell me much, but I'm pretty good at listening to what they say. It seems like much of their supplies came from excavating the supply sheds from the portal. But even supplemented by hunting wyrms, that can't last forever. So they're all working on getting out of here."

"Which would be why they kidnapped us," Riven commented. "They're after our ships. That's why they were happy that Persephone sent that message."  
"Yeah. Plus, hostages gives them a powerful edge in negotiations should it be discovered. But the situation is far from stable, especially due to the fighting between the gangs. I hear that a group called the Snowcloaks have been doing hit and run attacks to steal from the Wyrmscales. Another group called the Mechheads have been preventing them from taking pods to the south and the Bloody Grin Gang apparently engage in cannibalism to extend supplies. It's all kinds of chaos around here."

"And we are stuck in the middle of everything," Riven mumbled. "As usual."

"What about the rest of the team?" Helia inquired.

"Dunno. They try to keep us separate. To prevent us from cooperating I guess." Timmy shrugged. "I've not seen anybody but the gangmembers since I got here. So who else is with you?"

"Eight other soldiers and Cordatorta," Riven reported. "No one escaped the ambush, so they're probably also here."

The bespectacled warrior sighed. "Then we're no better off than before. Except the extra mouths to feed will no doubt make the gang even more antsy to get off the planet. We should be careful and keep an eye out for an opportunity. Did you guys manage to send a distress call?"  
"No, only a general situation update as far as I know," Helia said. "But that should be enough to make Menefer suspicious, especially if it was also scrambled. Next time, it will not just be a single ship."

"Which is what they're hoping for. With multiple ships, they won't just have a way off world, they'll have a powerful bargaining tool when it comes to convincing other criminals to sign up with their gang. They could potentially leave the planet as quite the formidable group."  
Riven rubbed his chin. "Yeah, I can see how that could be a problem."

...

The small luxury ship penetrated the atmosphere of Omega and began its descend towards the frozen surface.

Bloom tapped her feet as she watched the snow-cowered world. "I still say we should have turned back to pick up Brandon."

"I know. I'd have liked for him to come along too," Sky agreed. "But nobody knows what happened to the expeditions. They need our help now." He looked at the radar. "Now then, the info I got said that everyone disappeared around here. More or less."

"How delightfully vague," Bloom commented. "Okay, what's the plan?"  
"Well… I guess we land and start looking for them," the blond prince offered. He paused, before adding: "And then when we do find them, I guess we'll improvise from there."

The redhead sighed as Diaspro chipped in with a: "I like that plan."

The ship's equipment beeped as it identified a safe landing spot and Sky directed the vessel down. A bump went through the hull as it landed and came to rest on the soft snow. The Eraklian prince pressed a couple of buttons, turning off the engine and opening the cargo bay hatch. "Right. Let's get suited up."

They entered the room behind them, all warmth instantly robbed through the open hatch.

"Thi-this is-is dre-dre-dreadful," Diaspro commented. "Who-who wou-would ev-ev-ever want to-to come here?"

"It's a bit colder here than back home, yes," Sky commented as he opened a cupboard. "But once we have the thermal suits on, you won't even notice." He started opening random cabinets and boxes, before asking: "Speaking of which, where are the thermal suits?"

"A wha-what?" the blonde noble asked.

"Thermal suits. You know, full body protection against the cold. Insulated. Enchanted so that it can heat itself."  
"Is that stuff you use on Red Fountain?" Bloom asked, a worrying suspicion sprouting in her mind.

"Yeah. Standard issue," the blond's confirmed.  
The flat of Bloom's hand collided with her forehead, much to the prince's puzzlement.

"Sk-sky," Diaspro began, having also realised the problem. "Thi-this is a lux-luxury ves-vessel. It doesn't ha-ha-have…" She paused as Bloom extended her protective heat to her. "Many thanks. It doesn't have any military supplies."

"Oh," Sky began. "Well… Darn."

"You didn't think to check for that before jetting off," Bloom commented. "Great. Just great. Trapped on a frozen hunk of ice without the proper supplies."  
"We'll have to improvise then," the blond prince insisted. "Bloom, can you keep all three of us warm?"

"I can, for a while. But sooner or later, I will run out. So we'll have to remain somewhat close to the ship."

"Well, they were supposed to be in this area, so I suppose that will work." Sky felt heat cover his body as Bloom channelled her magic. "Thanks. Okay, let's get going. First, our weapons." He turned to figure out where they would be.

"Sky, that's still military supplies," Diaspro gently explained. "This ship doesn't have any weapons either."

"Okay. That's a problem then." The blond paused. "What _does_ this ship have then?"  
"Picnic baskets. Some food. A box full of flashlights. Oh, and lots of swimwear," Diaspro explained. "There were some basic survival kits and some various first-aid supplies, but they were in the boxes Brandon had already hauled out of the ship."

"Really should have gone back to pick him up," Bloom repeated.

"Okay. Okay, let's stay calm. We can still do this," Sky insisted. "We stay close to the ship. Then we hopefully won't need any."  
"Sky, I say this with all due respect. And I do still think you have many fine qualities," Bloom began. "But I _do_ see why they choose Brandon as squad leader."  
"I know," Sky sighed. "I kinda suck at this. But we're here now, so we might as well try to find the others."

The three of them walked outside, the snow under them rapidly melting due to Bloom's protection. The flashlight they had picked out of one of the boxes helped them find their way through the almost eternal night of Omega.

"Be careful. I see there are some pretty steep drops around here," Sky pointed out as he investigated the area. "We're standing upon layers upon layers of ice shelves. There's no telling how far we'll fall if we go over the edge."  
"I think I'll just stick to walking in your footprints," Diaspro mentioned. "Seems safest."  
They continued walking, minutes ticking by as they began slowly making their way through frozen environment.

"Alright. Enough for now," Bloom commented, after they had been searching for the better part of an hour. "I'm running low on energy. We should return to the ship, maybe check if reinforcements are on their way."  
"Sounds like a good idea," Sky agreed. "Let me just check that cave over there. You never know if…" The rest of his sentence drowned in the creaking and cracking of the breaking ice. The three of them immediately leapt back to get out of reach of the collapsing ground, but Sky, being the one in the front, wasn't capable of getting far enough away. He yelled as his feet slipped and the flashlight in his hand disappeared into the deep crevasse beneath him, as he desperately clung to the edge. Bloom and Diaspro immediately grabbed his hands, just as complete darkness enveloped them.

"Bogus, bogus, bogus!" the prince exclaimed as he tried to find somewhere to push with his foot. Much to his horror, he was pretty much just dangling over nothing, a semi-thick plate of ice being all that stood between the trio and their death at the bottom of the gorge.

"Lift with your legs. Lift with your legs," Diaspro kept chanting to herself, as she fought to haul the blond up. With a lot of struggling, they finally managed to haul him away from the edge and into the snow.

"Okay… Definitely… Definitely going back to the ship now," Bloom gasped.

"Thanks for the save, girls," Sky said gratefully. "Shame about the flashlight, but oh well. Diaspro, you brought an extra, right?"  
"Yes, I did," the noble replied. "I just… Where is it? I think it feel out of my pocket while we were struggling to get you up."  
"Let's hope it just landed in the snow," Bloom commented as she began digging into the frozen mass.

"Don't worry. Got ya covered," a deep voice grunted behind her. The redhead barely managed to register it before a bag was suddenly pulled over her head. Massive arms grabbed her and she was forced into the snow. She instantly channelled her magic into her skin and she heard the aggressor exclaim: "OUCH! This one's definitely a magi."

Not far from her, she could hear the others struggle. Sky exclaimed: "Let me go. Unhand me you urghf…."

Diaspro's voice had also become incredibly muffled, probably due to her also getting her face covered.

Bloom tried to push herself up again, but she was immediately forced down again and she felt metal lock around her wrists. She tried to focus enough of her energy into her hands to melt it, but the metal was quite resistant to heat. She was picked up and slung over somebody's shoulder, even as she kept fighting to get loose, squirming as much as she could.

"Alright, listen here. If you keep doing that, I might drop you. And if I drop you, you might fall down a two kilometre deep hole of ice to your death. Do you want that?" Bloom stopped struggling. "Didn't think so."

The redhead had no idea how long she was like that, helplessly slung over somebody's shoulder. It could have been minutes or hours. She had thought of burning her attacker, but she needed the energy to keep herself warm. Besides, her assailant might have been right. There were holes everywhere and if he did suddenly drop her, it might be the end of her. So she resigned herself to wait and bust out at the earliest opportunity.

Suddenly, she felt the temperature change and noise began surrounding her. From the number of voices, she guessed she was in a camp of sorts. She was suddenly lifted up and placed on the ground, as the guy who had carried her yelled: "BOSS! WE FOUND A COUPLE OF STRAGGLERS!" The cloth that had covered her head was ripped off and Bloom breathed sharply, greedily sucking in the fresh air.

She took a second to look around. She was in a big cave of sorts, surrounded by dozens of people. Tents were lined up in one corner, many of them currently occupied by sleeping figures. Strange machines, obviously improvised, filled the cave, providing light or melting ice to make water. As Bloom looked around, she saw that Diaspro and Sky had been placed beside her, though unlike her, they had been wrapped in cloth. Probably to keep them warm.

She heard footsteps and looked up. The first person she noticed was the guy who she figured had carried her. An elf with a huge and muscular physique, his skin brown and slightly wrinkly, witnesses of a harsh life.

The next person was the so-called boss. The person was clad in a full suit, obviously sewn together from various sources. If the redhead had been asked to describe it, she would have called it the unfortunate offspring of a diving suit and a sumo-wrestler costume. Metal and cloth was sewn, riveted and bound together, yet the person within moved without hindrance, a testament to the workmanship. The boss approached and eyed the three prisoners. The Dominian princess tried to get a glimpse of the person beneath as the boss grabbed the helmet and twisted it off, revealing the face beneath.

Bloom stared, her mind crucified by shock.

The boss looked at her, smiled and said: "Hey there, Firetop. Been a while, huh?"

...

Bloom's mind had more or less lost contact with reality, reeling from shock as it was. She barely registered it when she was firmly but gently led into a smaller room, to sit in a rather uncomfortable chair while she processed the situation. It was only when Techna placed a cup of warm tea by her that she suddenly snapped out of it. She stared at the scarred girl, who looked at her with concern. "You're alive," Bloom finally stated.

"Yeah. Surprising, isn't it?" Techna replied with a grin.

"Am I missing something?" Sky asked. "Why wouldn't she be?"  
"Of course," the redhead groaned. "I completely forgot to tell you." She paused. "Which might actually be a good thing."

"Short story is that the portal Valtor escaped through went on the frizz," Techna explained. "I volunteered to fix it. Which made it collapse. On top of me. Fun times."

"But... But how did you survive that? You were bombarded with a thousand different random spells. You don't just walk away from that."

"Ah, see, that's the thing," the scarred girl pointed out. "Part of a gamble on my part, to be honest. See, remember how that wizard guy kept calling it a portal, even after it went crazy? I thought that there might be a chance that it would still work like a portal."  
"Which means?" Sky asked.

"It means that for just a moment, despite falling apart, it still worked as it should," Techna replied. "And therefore it spar me out on Omega. Still, it was quite the gamble. I had no way of knowing if I would be transported before or after the whole collapse thing, which could have meant that I would have been spat out as a pile of beans or loosely connected limbs or something."

"But... We all thought you were dead," Bloom said. "If-if you thought that maybe you could survive, why didn't you tell us?"

"Because every second wasted was one more second it had to blow up in," the magenta-haired girl replied. "I'd rather spend what little time I had making sure you gave my regards to people. Sorry, I know it must have been a total bummer thinking I died. But things were real hectic back there." She paused. "So, is Squire there completely free of Fancypants or should I get ready to brain him at a moment's notice?"  
"What did she just ask?" Diaspro questioned confused.

"I am cured. Don't worry," the Eraklian prince quickly informed Techna, not wanting to get smacked around by her. "And Diaspro here has jumped ship. She's with us now."  
"Neat. Sounds like you've all been busy," Techna commented impressed.

"So have you. When did you become Boss of a gang?" Sky asked.

"More dumb luck than anything," the scarred girl admitted with a chuckle. "When I was thrown out on Omega, I was completely confused. Which was bad seeing as the entire cave was melting on top of me. One of the guys, Desmond, saw me and hauled my disoriented ass out of there. Since then I've been building stuff and directing them, so they just started to call me the boss."  
"So you're working with these criminals?" Bloom asked surprised. "Why?"  
"Ain't the first time, to be honest," Techna replied. "Some of my friends from Zenith have been caught doing not so nice stuff. Fact is, I'm not exactly innocent either. But getting away from the cops is a lot easier when you can shut down their cars with a snap of the finger."  
"But these aren't just some graffiti painting hoodlums," the redhead continued. "They are the worst criminals in the multiverse."

" _Relatively_ worst criminals in the multiverse," the scarred girl insisted. "Remember Bloom, these people come from dozens of worlds. And fact is, some of them have been here way longer than their punishment dictated. I'm not saying that there aren't some batshit crazy psychos here. There are. But they are not all bad. Ah, good timing," she said, as the elf who had carried Bloom entered the room. "This here is Desmond. He's part of the Nefret nomad nation. Long ago, the people of the country of Apep bought their sacred land, by using their magic to disguise themselves as envoys of the gods. Desmond read up on that and decided to sue the Apeps for the return of their sacred tribal land. This case was dismissed without trial by the rulers of Solaria."

"Stella's family?" Sky asked.

"More like Stella's ancestors. And not even in a direct line, mind you. This happened about two hundred years ago," Techna pointed out. "Denied compensation, Desmond raised an army and led a campaign of terror. Which ended with his defeat at the battle of Blue Canyon, where after he was sentenced to one hundred and twenty years on Omega."

"But he's still here," Diaspro remarked, pointing at the patiently waiting elf.

"Exactly. Turns out, if your stasis pod lands in such a way that picking you up will be a hassle, they just write you off as dead," the scarred girl continued. "Which was why he was only freed when the malfunctioning portal ruined his pod."

"That's horrible," Bloom said shocked. "But... Then what happened to your people's sacred land?"  
"Turns out I might as well not have bothered," Desmond commented. "The housing market did what my army never could."

"Apep went broke as a nation after a financial collapse. The Nefrets bought the holy land back for barely a fraction of what they had originally sold it for," Techna explained. "Now then, Bloom, is he one of the worst criminals in the multiverse?"

"I... I guess not," Bloom admitted.

"Exactly. And there are more like him. I've been trying to sniff out as many as possible, but people are all over the planet," the scarred girl remarked. "Honestly, I never knew much about Omega. But after being here, well, I can tell you that this place is the worst idea ever. It's really just because people hope that the criminals die here so they won't have to deal with them ever again." She paused. "By the way, what did you want Desmond?"  
"The scouts have returned. The Wyrmscales have captured a group of eleven people."

"What's going on?" Sky asked.

"Well, as I said, not everyone here is like Desmond," the scarred girl began. "And they've also been gathering forces. I've been trying to construct a spaceship, but I need a lot of raw materials. In the meantime, we've struggled with the others for control of resources. So yeah, you've landed in one big party." Her smile faltered. "There's also another thing. The Wyrmscale gang has Timmy."  
"Yeah. Red Fountain reported on his disappearance," Sky agreed. His eyes suddenly widened and he exclaimed: "Wait, eleven people? That must be Cordatorta and his group. That means they also have both Riven and Helia, plus others."  
"Not good. And they have the ships. We might want to accelerate our plans," Techna commented. "Desmond, is the gang ready?"  
"As prepared as we can be," the elf replied.

"Good. Now that the three of you are here, I could use your help. We've been planning on taking out the Wyrmscales for a while now," Techna explained as she turned to her guests. "Unless you want to sit this one out, of course."  
"Not a chance. We came here to rescue them. If you got a plan, then lead the way," Sky offered.

"I promised I would be of help. I am not backing down now," Diaspro added.

"Agreed. See, _this_ is how you do a rescue mission," Bloom pointed out to Sky, who looked somewhat embarrassed at the reminder.

"Did something happen?" the scarred girl inquired.

"I'll tell you later."

...

After splitting off from her gang, Techna lead the trio to a frozen tunnel. "So here's the plan," she began. "I've been using some patched together radar technology to get a feel for their hideout. They have some storage rooms or something like that very close to this tunnel. So the plan is that Desmond will lead an assault on the front with the purpose of luring as many people out as possibly. We'll make our way through here and take them from behind, freeing any prisoners we find on the way."  
"So how do we get in?" Bloom asked. "I hope you don't expect me to melt through the ice."  
"Nah, save your energy for later. I got these." The scarred girl held up one of her homemade barrier busters. "Should get us through without trouble."

"You know, I'm pretty sure most people would be less than pleased with the way you make your own military grade equipment," Sky mentioned. "Doesn't Alfea have rules against that?"

"Probably. Now, here's the spot." Techna attached the device to the wall. "Now we just wait for Desmond to do his thing and then POW, go time." She fished a walkie-talkie out of her pocket. Like everything else the scarred girl made, it was seemingly fused together from random bits of technology. Bloom briefly wondered why the walkie-talkie had a blue spinning thing on it. It seemed quite unnecessary. "Yo, Desmond. We're all set up on our end. You ready for the big party? Good, then start it up." In the distance, sounds of gunshots began echoing. "Alright then, we'll give them a minute and then I press the button. So I hope you're all ready."

Sky held up the rifle he had been provided. "Ready and able."  
Flames appeared in Bloom's hands and Diaspro's jewels left their sockets.

"Good answers," Techna said with a grin, pulling a pistol from her pocket.

"What, no pipe?" Sky jokingly asked.

"Nah. Me and pipes had a good run. But I have learned a very good lesson here on Omega," Techna started. "Pipes don't have a lot of range." She paused. "Alright, enough hanging around and posing like badasses. Let's do this." She pressed a button on the buster and stepped back. Seconds later, the device went off, pulverising a large chunk of the ice, revealing the room within.

The four of them stepped inside the hallway, noting the barred cells on either side.

"A prison I think," Diaspro noted. "Seems rather empty."  
"Huh? Who's out there?" came a voice from one of the cells.

"Riven? Hey, Riven, is that you?" Sky asked as they walked up to one set of bars.

"Holy shit, if it ain't Sky. I thought you were still busy being Valtor's personal puppet prince," Riven said. His eyes became wide as he saw the group. "No way, is that..."

"TECHNA!" Timmy exclaimed in complete surprise, managing to leap from a corner of the cell to the bars. "Is that you? Are you alive? How did you get here? How did you survive? Where have you..."  
"Wow, wow, cool it Databoy," Techna gently said. "It's okay. I'm here." She gently reached through the bars and pulled him into a loving kiss. "I missed you," she said, drying a tear away as she pulled back again. "And unless my ability to read people has completely gone to junk, you've missed me too."  
Timmy looked like he was trying to reboot his brain.

"Stand back. I'm going to get you out," Bloom said as she stepped forward. After Riven and Helia managed to pull the stunned soldier back, she focused her fire and began slowly melting through the bars.

"What's with the noise down..." a guard said as he entered. "Wait. WHO ARE..." He stumbled back as Techna turned and unloaded three bullets into him. Blood spilled from his throat where one of the projectiles had torn open his veins. He fell gurgling to the floor and expired.

"So good news is that I got him," she noted. "Bad news is that I'm pretty sure somebody heard that."

"Good thing I'm done then," Bloom said as she removed bar number four. "Alright, what now?"  
"We get to the other cells and get as many people out as we can. Then we try to find their armoury or storage," Techna said.

"Sounds like a brilliant plan," Riven said as he stepped out. "Did you bring Brandon by any chance?"  
Bloom and Diaspro turned to look at Sky.

"I know. I know," he sighed.

"Ah. I think I can guess what sorta happened," the magenta-haired soldier noted.

The group moved down the hall and into an adjacent hallway, which seemed to lead into several different cellblocks.

"Seems like they've been preparing for a lot of prisoners," Bloom noted.

The sound of running could be heard and Riven turned towards one end of the hallway. "I think that's enemy reinforcements coming this way," he noted. "Unfortunately, unarmed combat was never my speciality."  
"Besides, if they're armed, fist fighting won't do much good," Timmy said, as he grabbed a rifle from the dead guard.

"Bloom, Riven and Helia. You three go to the other blocks and start getting people out," Techna instructed. "We'll hold them off here."

"Alright. Stay safe," Bloom said as she ran off with the two soldiers.

"I... I think I can already say now," Diaspro began as she nervously eyed the hallway from the cover of the cellblock opening. "The military life is not for me."

"Well, still a lot of different things you can do then," Techna mentioned. "NOW FIRE!"

Bullets and gemstones flew through the air, colliding with the three guards that made their way around the corner. One of them started screaming as a ruby ripped through his eye and tore through the brain.

"Ex... Excuse me," Diaspro weakly said and retreated back into the cells, ready to puke after seeing her accidental handiwork.

In the other cellblock, Bloom stood back as Cordatorta strode out. "Thanks for that."

"No problem. Good to have you back, sir," Riven said. "By the way, have you heard anything we can use?"  
The dragontamer smirked. "Yes. Not all of these guys are as smart as their leader. Apparently, he has ordered the armoury moved because it's right outside the cell blocks, something which he found risky. The guards arguing this found it to be pointless busywork, because how were we going to break out?"  
Everybody took a moment to appreciate the irony.

"Alright. Me and Helia can keep freeing people. If you can get to the armoury, we can turn this battle around," Bloom said and hurried off, the black-haired artist right behind her.

"Sounds like a plan," Cordatorta said. "Let's move."

The group hurried out into the hallway, where Techna and the other had slowly begun to advance. Sky was nursing his shoulder, trying to staunch a bleeding bullet wound. He looked up at the group and said: "Welcome to the frontline. We've managed to push them back for now."

"Good. Guess what. It turns out the armoury is just outside," Riven said.

"Alright, then let's advance," Cordatorta ordered and the group continued down the hall. It lead into a much bigger room, where boxes and crates of supplies had been stored. In the distance, gunfire and explosions could be heard.

"Sounds like the distraction is doing their job," Techna said. "I got a couple of friends out there. They're trying to keep the Wyrmscales as busy as possible."

"Good. That looks like it could lead to the armoury," Sky said, pointing at a reinforced door. "Let's see if it's still open." He stepped forward, but Cordatorta suddenly lashed out with his arm, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him back behind a crate.

A loud boom rang out and fragments of the walls were peppered with pellets. The ogre enforcer of the Wyrmscales cocked his great weapon and yelled: "DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD JUST ESCAPE!? I'LL BLOW THE LOT OF YOU TO PIECES!"

"Great. An ogre," Sky commented, as he and the others took cover behind the crates. "Advice, sir?"  
"I'll distract him. Get the armoury open," Cordatorta replied. Then he bolted from cover. The enforcer noticed him immediately and raised his weapon. The dragontamer dove into cover behind another stack of boxes, just as another shot rang out. The ogre grunted and leapt on top of the box, ready to fire again.

Cordatorta kicked against the supply crate, pushing it away from under the ogre's feet. The enforcer roared as he tipped forwards and Cordatorta barely managed to roll out of the way, as the massive humanoid crashed against the floor.

The ogre immediately tried to get up, but Cordatorta quickly jumped him and began stomping on the ogre's hand to make him drop the shotgun. The enforcer's other hand grabbed him by the shin and forcefully pulled him away. Stars exploded in Cordatorta's head as he lost balance and his skull smashed against the floor. He looked upand saw the ogre getting ready to turn his weapon on him. The dragontamer lashed out with his foot again, the heel smashing into the enforcer's eye. He roared and fired blindly, distracted by the pain. The dragontamer grunted as he rolled to the side. Blood began seeping from where a couple of pellets had penetrated his side. The enforcer lifted his weapon again, but another gunshot rang out and two of his fingers were blown off. The ogre roared and turned, suddenly realising that the other soldiers were now fully armed.

"WHAT?!" he yelled. "THE ARMORY WAS LOCKED! HOW DID YOU GET IN!?"

"Oh, a girl has her ways," Techna commented. "Now drop the gun or we'll shoot you full of holes."

The enforcer grunted defiantly and turned to shoot. He never got the chance. Dozens upon dozens of bullets tore into him and he collapsed on the floor, blood spreading from his corpse in a massive pool.

"Good job, everybody," Cordatorta groaned as he got up.

"Now all we need to do is hit their frontlines from behind," Techna said. "And then we'll have won the battle."

"Sounds like a plan. Listen, I'll be of little help in battle with my side like this," the dragonmaster pointed out. "I suggest Sky and I stay behind to get the others armed once Bloom gets them out. Meanwhile, you all hit those guys and hit them hard."

"Good luck, sir," Riven said, as he and the others followed Techna towards the entrance.

The outside was a mess, as the two gangs were locked in vicious combat. Gunners and grenadiers took potshots from behind frozen fortifications, while machete and club wielding warriors stormed enemy positions. Blood stained the snow and ice. The group didn't waste any time, immediately setting up positions and began unloading their weapons into the back of their unsuspecting enemies. Panic quickly spread as the Wyrmscale soldiers suddenly had to defend themselves from both sides.

The pressure now taken off, Techna's gang became emboldened and advanced, easily beating back the now disorganized group.

"HEY!" Techna yelled. "IF YOU ALL SURRENDER NOW, WE WON'T KILL YOU! HONEST!"

"SO WE MEET AT LAST!" another voice yelled and Techna looked up. Above a massive gate stood the Wyrmscale leader, eyeing the battle. "THIS ENDS NOW! I WILL FEED YOU ALL TO MY PET!" He smashed a button and the massive gate opened.

"Oh fuck," Riven commented.

A massive and ancient ice wyrm slithered out of the hold. It eyed the giant buffet in front of it and roared. The serpentine giant smashed into the battlefield, eagerly attacking whatever was closest.

Techna winced as one of her gang members got chomped by the ice wyrm. "You guys stay here. Keep that overgrown snake occupied."  
"Alright, fire at will," Riven ordered and the soldiers of Red Fountain began pelting the beast with bullets. It barely seemed to notice. It scales were harder than steel, easily deflecting most of the projectiles.

The Wyrmscale leader chuckled as he saw the Mechheads flee for their life. Sure, a couple of his own would be caught in the mess, but that was just how things were sometimes. He turned to make his escape, walking face-first into Techna's fist. He stumbled back and spat a tooth out, eyeing the angry girl. "Ah, glad you could come. It would be such a shame if I left the planet without making sure you were dead first."  
"You? Kill me?" Techna snorted. "Keep dreaming."  
The leader growled and raised his rifle, but Techna closed the distance and smashed the weapon to the side. She raised her weapon and fired a bullet into his stomach. He roared in pain and smashed his forehead into her face, crushing her nose. They crashed into each other, biting, kicking and whatnot in an attempt to secure control of their opponent's weapons. As they got Ccose to the edge, Techna saw her chance and let go of her enemy's rifle. With a quick blow, she smashed him in the chest. He gasped as the breath was knocked out of his lungs. His own knee shot forward and planted itself in Techna's side. She winced as her kidney protested from the pain. He saw she was distracted and grabbed her by the arm. He twisted it and Techna screamed, dropping her gun. Then he planted his boot in her spine and kicked her away. The scarred girl stumbled and fell on the ice.

"IT'S OVER!" the leader yelled and raised his rifle.  
"Yep," Techna replied, as she drew her second gun from her belt and fired.

The bullet tore through the leader's knee and his leg collapsed. He swung his arms around as he lost his balance and with a scream, he stumbled over the edge. He landed hard on the ice below, several of his ribs cracking from the impact. He groaned, pain flooding his mind and as he struggled to get up when he noticed something. Something flat and metallic had been attached to his chest. He briefly wondered where it had come from, when it suddenly hit him. Techna had not punched him to weaken him. She had used it to attach the thing. Fearing the worst, he struggled to get it off, when he suddenly noticed something else.

Ever so slowly, he looked up.

The ancient wyrm looked back down at him, having been attracted by the sounds of their struggles.

"No..." he weakly gurgled as he tried to push himself away. "No, go away. Not me. No, go away. GO AWAY! NO! NO! ARRRGGGHHHHH!"

The wyrm's jaws closed around him, its teeth spearing through his body and snapping his bones.

And then the buster went off.

With a puff, both the wyrm's head and its prey disappeared into a cloud of bloody dust. The massive and now headless body fell to the floor with a crash.

Up above, Techna sighed and sat down on the ice. "I could really use a vacation," she groaned, listening to the distant sound of cheering.

...

Most of the prisoners had to be left behind, due to limited space in the three vessels. But Cordatorta swore that he would get every single one of them off, even if he personally had to build an entirely new portal to Omega. Both Bloom and Sky also promised that they would both use all available resources to them to put an end to the Omega sentence and get all of the prisoners out. It was acknowledged that not all the prisoners could just be let back into society, nor could all be reformed, but they would both demand that all of the still surviving prisoners should have their cases re-examined.

Thus, after many days abroad, Techna was finally brought back to Alfea. She and Timmy had a long and tearful goodbye, before the bespectacled soldier continued on towards Red Fountain. Bloom and Sky also said their goodbyes, promising to call each other soon so they could finally get on that date they had been talking about.

After that, the two faeries made their way towards their common room.

"So, do the others know?" Techna asked. "Because if not, I know just how we break it to them. I'll sneak in, sit by the TV and just greet them when they show up like nothing's wrong."

"They'd just jump you thinking you're Darcy or something," Bloom commented. "Besides, Cordatorta contacted Alfea. They already know."

They reached the door to their cluster and opened. And then all that could be heard was: "TECHNA!"

"Oh boy," the scarred girl managed to mumble, before she suddenly found herself being squeezed in a hug by Musa and Stella, while Flora and Aisha began flooding her with questions about her health and well-being.

"Look... I'm really... Really happy... To see you..." she struggled to say. "But please... Let me go. I've got... Bruises all over..." It took a while longer for her to actually get the tearful faeries to release her.  
"How did you end up on Omega?" Stella asked. "We thought you were dead."  
"Long story short, turns out that portal still sent things to Omega," the scarred girl said. "Look, I'm sorry I put you all through this. I would have told you if I had thought I had the time. I'm just happy we're back to normal again."  
"Oh... Yeah, no we aren't," Musa commented, as she dried her eyes with her sleeve. "While you were away... Well... We kinda, sorta attacked Cloud Tower."

"Oh... Did that go better than last time?"  
"No. Worse," Bloom murmured. "Way worse."

"But that's not all," Stella said. "We found out that Valtor is Bloom's half-brother."  
"What? You're shitting me," Techna said. "Fancypants is... Actually that does explain a lot. Huh. What a twist."

"And the reason Daphne had us bring the mask was that she apparently wanted to get in contacts with him for some reason," Aisha pointed out.

"Daphne," Bloom echoed. "I think it's time we go get some answers from her."  
"Right. Can we get those answers some other day?" Techna asked and yawned. "I really need some shut-eye. Participating in gang warfare tends to be draining."  
"Gang what?" Aisha questioned.

"I'll tell you tomorrow."

As the girls went back to their rooms, Bloom stopped by the door to her apartment and eyed the vanishing form of Techna. She smiled. Finally things felt right again. She went to bed, closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep. And for the first time in a while, Bloom felt at peace.


	18. Break-in at the Museum

Chapter 18: Break-in at the Museum

Bloom walked through the doors to their common room and dumped into the sofa. Flora, who was watching the news, looked at her and asked: "So, how did it go?"

"Really great, actually," the redhead replied. "Nothing special, but he's way better at organising dates than rescue missions."

"He is not going to be allowed to forget that for quite a while I take it," the brunette commented.

"Yep. Also, I got to see Lady again. It's been a long time since I last got to take her for a walk." She paused. "It's so much easier for you. Mirta goes to Alfea, so you get to see her almost every day."  
"It does have benefits, true. By the way, have you heard the news?" the brunette inquired.  
"No. The café didn't have a television. Anything important?"  
"Yes. King Radius has changed his tone. Apparently he now realises, after it turned out Sky had been controlled, that Valtor is indeed a threat and a proper strategy must be formulated to deal with him."  
"Proper strategy?" Bloom asked.

"Something that takes a very long time to put together I assume," came the Limphean noble's reply.

"Typical. If Radius had kept trying to downplay Valtor, it would have seemed suspicious. So now he's just trying to delay them instead." The redhead groaned annoyed to punctuate her dissatisfaction.

"Speaking of Valtor, I never had a chance to discuss this with you," Flora started. "I would like if we stopped trying to chase him down. We have suffered enough at his hands to last a lifetime."  
The redhead mulled it over. "Okay, I promise won't go hunting him again," she said. "I've learned my lesson. But if he tries to pull anything while I'm around, I'm still going to try to stop him."  
"A fair enough stance to take," Flora agreed. "I am just happy that everybody is back safe and sound. By the way, did Sky happen to tell you what happened to Diaspro?"  
"Yeah. She was picked up by the second rescue team. Apparently, accidentally killing one of the gang members took a lot out of her. They found her curled up in one of the cells." Bloom sighed. "When Sky's father heard what she had done he was ready to banish her from the kingdom for eternity, but Sky apparently defended her and argued for her reform. I didn't get a very detailed explanation, but the gist of it was that his father thought it a good time to test out his son's decision-making skills. So he went with the idea."

"Well, Sky is going to be king someday. It is only natural that his father would want to ensure he has the necessary capabilities."

"I guess. I just hope she recovers and finds some certainty in her life," Bloom continued. "I just thought she was a stuck-up noble, but turns out she's more a victim of those than anything else." She paused. "I'm going to go visit Daphne tomorrow. I think I'm finally ready to get those answers. I want to know what turned my brother into this megalomaniac sorcerer." She looked up. "Do you want to come along? You've kinda also been involved a lot too, after all."

"I would like to. I am very curious to hear her tale." She paused with a contemplative look on her face. "That does remind me. Stella wanted to arrange a trip to Magicalis. Some shopping, maybe a visit to the museum or library, followed by dinner. She sees it as a way to celebrate our reunion with Techna."  
"Well, that is definitely worth celebrating," Bloom commented with a smile. "Why not both? We can visit Lake Roccaluce first, then continue on to Magicalis."

"My thoughts exactly. As long as we can get the others along with the plan, of course," Flora noted. "Not that I imagine they would not be interested. I gather that they too are quite curious about what Daphne has to say for herself."  
"She has kept a lot secret from us," the redhead said. "I'm angry and kinda disappointed. But I also want to know why." She paused. "I'm probably also going back to Pyros one of these days. I still need to train more with Maia. According to Wizgiz, she had very strong opinions about my disappearance and what Sky did."

"Strong opinions?" Flora echoed.

"Wizgiz said he was surprised his computer didn't catch on fire," the redhead elaborated.  
"Well, between your royal studies and dragonflame training, you have tied up a lot of your free time," the brunette commented.

"I know. It's going to be a while before I can go on another date with Sky."  
"He's probably going to be busy too. According to Timmy, nobody was impressed with his rescue operation," Flora continued. "Least of all Brandon. He actually stormed into the mess hall the moment he got back and started yelling at Sky."  
"He only yelled at him? I suppose he must have had time to calm down then," Bloom said, remembering how the squire had reacted when Sky had messed up the whole thing with Diaspro.

"I think Riven and Timmy also helped maintain distance between the two. His frustration is understandable of course. He ended up getting both heatstroke and sunburn before he was picked up. At least he had supplies to help him," Flora said, as she turned off the TV. "Anyway, if we want to get all that done tomorrow, we best get to bed now."  
"Agreed," Bloom said and yawned. "Just gotta feed Kiko and then it's time for sweet dreams."

...

All was quiet in Cloud Tower. The dark halls lay silent and pitch-black darkness filled every room. No footsteps, no talking, nothing. The place was like a tomb.

Then the front doors were kicked open and a boisterous voice yelled: "FREEZE IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE!"

A team of five people stood in the open door, posing in case anybody was there to see their entrance.

"Aw, nobody's here to see us," Jinpee commented. "Bummer."  
"REMEMBER, YOUNG JINPEE! AS IMPORTANT AS OUR PRESENTATION IS, IT IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAT WE BRING JUSTICE!" Ben loudly commented. "WITH OR WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE! PATCHAMEN! SCOUR THE TOWER AND BRING DOWN THE VILE UNJUST WORKS OF VALTOR!"

"OMEGA SEARCH PATTERN!" Bo yelled, as he charged off along with Kiu.

"I'll give command a quick call and tell them we have the entrance under control," Junko said as she held up her pink phone. "Hey, it's the Patchamen. We just kicked down the front doors. Nothing so far. Aha. Aha. I see. Aha. Okay then." She turned it off and relayed: "Every team from Alpha to Epsilon has successfully made entry without encountering any resistance."  
"Is that auspicious or suspicious?" Jinpee asked.

"WE WILL NOT KNOW WITHOUT THE WONDEROUS BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT!" Ben declared. "FOR NOW, LET US JOIN OUR COMRADES IN THEIR HEROIC SEARCH!"

The teams, a mix of Roccalucian troops and Red Fountain soldiers, quickly secured the tower and discovered a couple of things. First of all, Valtor and his entourage were gone. Secondly, all the possessed witches were now no longer under his control, though they were very confused. As soon as the premise had been secured, Griffin and Saladin were brought in to assess the situation.

"We found the guardian pixie of the school," Electra, the nymph who had commanded the attack, explained as she lead Saladin and Griffin into the office. "She is currently attempting to coax memories out of the tower itself. Hopefully, that will reveal what happened."  
"Most likely, Valtor realised that staying at the school was no longer wise, especially given the recent events with Sky," Griffin said. "And if he's half as smart as I remember him to be, he will not have discussed where he's going within these walls."

"Then we'll have to start searching the area," Electra commented. "Can we count on Red Fountain's assistance for this? There is quite a lot of ground to cover."  
"I will be more than happy to dedicate what forces I can to patrol the area," the warlock agreed.

"How are the witches handling things?" Griffin inquired.

"We brought in some people to give crisis help. They all seem fine, physically, though the shock of having missed a couple of months have hit hard," the nymph explained. "Some worse than others, of course. We have also found your staff, all three of them in a similar disoriented state."

"Will you be starting the school up again?" Saladin asked.

"Not right now. In a couple of weeks maybe, when people have had time to recover. Though I might even have to have most of them do the year over again," Griffin mused. "We shall see when the exams are upon us."

"Then I suppose we'll just have to wait until we find Valtor's track again," the warlock commented. "Rather annoying, as this will give him time to plan his next move."

...

Grey clouds covered the sky and rain pelted the woodland. The surface of Lake Roccaluce constantly rippled and waves crashed on against the grassy shores. The seven girls waded down the muddy road and through piles of rotting leaves, each clad in rain clothes.

Both Stella and Aisha's were fashionable and luxurious, decorated with many colours. Flora's and Techna's were both obviously meant for working outside in the rain, the latter's having very clashing colours from piece to piece. Bloom wore the gear she had used for Melmamora back in the day, though it now fit her a lot better. Musa's was old and worn, repaired up with the occasional rubber patch to keep the water out. Mirta, whom Flora had invited along for the trip to the city, wore a standard mass-produced yellow piece.  
"So, do you think she's going to show up?" the black-haired musician asked. "After all, she might be busy hanging out with Valtor."  
"No. I have a feeling she's been waiting for me," Bloom commented.

"Oh yeah, you have, like, a mental link with her or something," Stella remarked.

"Nothing powerful, but yes, it's there."

The girls exited the woods and closed in on the great lake. Bloom signalled for the others to stay back, before walking to the edge of the water. "DAPHNE!" she called. "IT'S ME, BLOOM! I DON'T MEAN TO SOUND DEMANDING, BUT YOU SERIOUSLY OWE ME SOME ANSWERS!" She waited for a moment, hearing nothing but the gentle drumming of rain against the water. And then she saw it. A light slowly rising from the depths of the lake. Gracefully, the shining spirit of Daphne ascended through the surface, the ghostly presence causing not so much as a single ripple in the water. Unlike the many other times Bloom had shown up to talk with her, she didn't look happy or joyous to see her sister. She looked sad, heartbroken even.

"And I am willing to provide them to you," the spirit said as she floated closer to the redhead. The other faeries also moved closer, eager to hear what she had to say. The ghost was silent for a moment, before saying: "Know that I never meant to deceive you or mislead you. Things... Things just didn't turn out like I had hoped."  
"And what had you hoped then?" Musa snorted unimpressed.

Daphne seemed to mull it over. "Before I explain what I intended, perhaps I should explain what transpired before our current crisis."

"Please do," Flora said with a gesture. "Ever since Valtor revealed himself to be Bloom's brother, I for one have been curious to know what happened."

"Yeah, me too," Techna added. "I mean, you're a ghost, Firetop grew up on Earth and Fancypants is running wild. Seems like there must be some story to that."  
"There is," the ghost began. "Back in the day, when Domino had yet to be cursed, there were our parents. That is, the parents of Valtor and me. Crown Prince Oritel Kadmos and his wife Osanna. As me and my brother grew up, we had great expectations placed upon us."  
"As is the case with all of noble blood," Aisha agreed. "We have certain burdens to bear."

Under her breath, Musa commented: "Like what type of boots to wear while stomping on the peasantry."

"Indeed," Daphne responded. "Valtor was expected to someday become king. And unlike our parents, Valtor and I were both blessed with great magical potentials and powerful dragonflames to go with them. So Valtor was enrolled in the Beta Academy for sorcerers, so that he might learn both to harness the full potential of his magic and the skills necessary to rule."  
"Great. I can see why he and my step-sister made for such an amazing team," Stella dryly commented.

"However, despite my potential, I was only expected to someday become another noble's wife. Whereas Valtor was more or less allowed to run free in his pursuit of magic and knowledge, I was the family's daughter. I was to be nice, quiet and gentle. Mother once said that I had to be like a flower, to entice men to pick me and take me with them."

"I'd just like to add that I really think Dominian culture needs its view on women reworked," Bloom commented.

"But though I was compassionate and charitable by nature, I was not born for the home life. Like my brother, I had a thirst for adventure. I wanted to help improve the world. But my parents did not approve of such fancies. They feared it would jeopardize their carefully groomed image of me and scare off potential suitors." The ghost sighed. "In those days, Valtor was a great support for me. He insisted that I followed my dreams, something I was very scared of doing. But he could not be home all the times. Most of the time, he was abroad, studying."

"That is... Really sad," Mirta said empathetically.

"No one should be forced into such a position," Flora remarked.

"Weren't you trained to be a guide and survivor since you were, what, a teenager or something?" Techna asked.

"I was. With the knowledge that if I wanted to, I could always resign from the job," the brunette remarked.

"That sounds lovely," Daphne earnestly said. "Both me and Valtor did quite well in our respective positions, but you'd never think that hearing it from our parents. They decided to raise us according to the same principles they had been raised with, and that meant that nothing was ever completely good enough. We were always told that we could do a little better, that we could reach just a little higher. Our every accomplishment was met with talk about what we could do next. The goal was always moved just as we reached the finish line. In Valtor's case, he was constantly told that he could get stronger, learn more magic and acquire more knowledge."  
"Well, that explains where that obsession came from," Stella commented.

"Whereas I could always learn to play more instruments, speak more languages and excel more at various tasks befitting of a housewife. Despite him working with what he loved, this lack of acknowledgement obviously rankled my brother. He became withdrawn, spending more and more time studying and training. In the end, I seemed to be the only person he had any time for whatsoever. And as for me, well, to be honest the expectations made my life a prison. I felt as if I was being choked, what with constantly being pressured to learn all kinds of noble manners and royal rules that I had to obey every time I was with anybody. In the end, I almost broke under the strain. But then Valtor helped me once again." She was quiet, lost in a memory. "He finally managed to convince me to do what I wanted, to follow my own path. I joined the Roccalucian order, so that I through them could help make the realms safer with my power. Those were the best years of my life." She turned, staring across the lake, nostalgic fondness glimmering in her eyes.

"Wow, that... I feel really sorry for you," Musa said. "Sounds like your parents... Well, kinda sucked to be honest."  
"I wouldn't go that far. Then again, as my dear brother said, I am predisposed towards looking for the best in people. Even when it isn't there." She was silent for a moment, before turning towards the girls again. "As you might imagine, my parents did not approve. They reminded me more than once that my growing magical power and influence scared away many potential suitors. Apparently, most Dominian noblemen did not want a wife who could beat them up in the blink of an eye."  
"Seems like you got quite the chickenshit nobility," Techna remarked to Bloom.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll get to cleaning up in that someday," she grumbled.  
"But then, tragedy struck. On an otherwise normal vacation, an avalanche struck the royal summer-home. My mother and my grandparents perished in the disaster, as did many others," she explained. "It was one of the worst disasters in decades. Father only survived through pure luck. After the customary period of grief and his own crowning, he re-married."  
"How long is that period?" Musa asked.

"Three months."  
"Wow, he was fast then," the musician commented, obviously finding the thought distasteful. "I mean, there's moving on and then there's this."  
"Maybe. But there is a reason," Daphne began. "His relationship with Bloom's mother, Miriam, was different from his relation to ours. Our parents were partners, chosen to be married not long after they were born. They were the best of friends and obviously cared for one another. But with Miriam, it was different. For our father fell in love with her." She paused. "You'd think that after that, he'd be more than sympathetic towards those of us trying to break the mould."

"What do you mean by that?" Mirta asked.

"Marriage between Dominian nobles, royals and so on are by tradition almost always arranged, since it is believed that the elder and wiser generation is better suited for picking fitting relations. A family that lets its children pick their own marriage partners is seen as weak and unable to control their youngest, which can harm them politically. Therefore, Miriam's parents had to quickly make things so it would seem like they had arranged things with the king, rather than their daughter choosing to marry him."  
"This is getting stupider and stupider," Musa groaned. "Why do nobles always manage to be so frustrating?"  
"I'm just happy that my parents dispensed with many of those traditions before they could affect me," Stella added.

Aisha looked decidedly confused by their opposition to the idea.

"About a year later, I received the title of nymph," the ghost continued. "Though far from the youngest to ever receive the honour, it was still rare for one as young as I. To be a nymph, one not only has to excel at working with politics and diplomacy, but one is also required to show mastery of magic and spellcraft, something that can take people decades to learn. But my dragonflame allowed me to reach that level much faster than your average magi." She sighed. "It was about that time that you were born, Bloom. I returned home with highest of honours, wearing the symbols of my office and having just finished my first official task as a nymph by helping with diffusing a developing situation in the realm of Jezero. I returned home as proud as I could be and told them of my good work. And nobody cared."  
Nothing but the pitter-patter of rain could be heard for a while.  
"Come again?" Techna said, rubbing her ears. " _What?_ "

"Nobody cared," Daphne repeated. "Nobody but Valtor and Miriam, that is. It was not something I was ever supposed to excel at and so my achievements were never considered important. Especially since most people were more concerned with how old and unmarried I was getting. Not to mention that our parents were busy with the newborn Bloom." She was quiet once more, a searching look on her face as she struggled to find the right words. "You see... Miriam had different ideas about how to raise a child. Me and Valtor were mostly cared for by nannies while our parents were busy. The idea being that children should earn affection in order to grow up strong and proud. But Miriam believed that children and parents should interact, that a personal touch was essential for their development. Father loved her so much that he agreed to try her method. They fawned over you, played with you and gave you as much attention as their positions allowed." She paused, a pained expression on her face. "Miriam tried to do the same with my brother and me. She really tried to connect with us, though sadly this only seems obvious to me in hindsight. But she was only a couple years older than me and at the time, I was unable to see her as a mother. I know my brother felt the same. Instead of being grateful for her praise, I only wanted my father to recognise me and love me for who I was and what I had accomplished. When it seemed he didn't, I grew desperate. I couldn't think of any way to grow stronger and better, having already achieved such honours, until..." Shame manifested on her face. "Until I learned of a ritual. A ritual that could alter my very essence, instantly empowering me and my magic. I would skip decades of training in a single leap. But such rituals are forbidden and it is for a reason. I paid the price for my hubris." She stared through her hands, watching the ripples of the lake.

"That's why Valtor says I'm responsible?" Bloom began. "Because you died because of how my parents treated me?"  
"Indeed. And as I've told him many times, it's unfair to blame somebody for something that they are only barely responsible for," Daphne informed her. "Wouldn't you agree?"  
Bloom raised a finger, before mumbling: "Well, I feel uncomfortable now."  
"Oh yeah, you blamed Valtor for me getting 'killed' by the portal," Techna said. "Right. Apparently it runs in the family."  
"Don't remind me."

"Sadly, I cannot tell you much about what happened after that," Daphne said. "I spent months slowly gaining control over my new ghostly form. Sometimes, I would accidentally phase out, missing entire weeks. When I finally had gained enough control to be as I am now, everything had changed. Domino had been cursed and the Ancestral Witches were attacking. I manifested there, desperately trying to make sense of things. And when I saw what happened, I spirited you away, Bloom. I only found out about my brother's involvement much later." She paused. "I have tried to make him open up about what happened and how he got involved with the Coven, but he has so far refused to tell me. I can only imagine that it's something that still hurts even now. Especially as it must still seem so recent to him."

"Be that as it may, that still doesn't justify cursing an entire nation," Musa insisted.

"Actually, the curse was never meant to last as long has it has," the ghost explained. "According to my brother, it was to last a day or two at most. In fact, he is currently gathering resources to undo the curse."  
"But he made it, didn't he?" Mirta asked. "Shouldn't it be easy for him?"

"It should, but it isn't. Something about the curse has changed between him casting it and becoming free again. He has yet to figure out what, but he said it was tied to the Obsidian Prison, a dimension that was located by the Coven and then used as their base of operations. Now, I know that leaves some dissatisfying holes in this story, but I regret to inform you that only my brother can fill those in."

"Alright, I see," Bloom said. "But then, why did you want us to bring your mask to him? What was your plan?"  
"Valtor had no idea that I had continued to exist in this form," Daphne replied. "I hoped that by meeting with him and talking to him, I could help dissuade him from this destructive path. But my wayward brother is mentally stuck and stubborn to boot, refusing to budge from his idea of how to do fix things. I'm afraid that his experiences have harmed him more than I initially realised. I kept trying to make him change course and in doing so, neglected to inform you. And for that, I am deeply and truly sorry. I was just afraid that if I told you too soon, you would start hating our brother like so many others do."

"Why do you keep holding your hand over him?" Musa asked. "He's out of control and needs to be stopped."  
"True. But that does not mean one cannot also help him," Flora pointed out.

"She is right. Bloom, I do not have much energy left in me. My time amongst all of you is quickly running out," Daphne said. "I beg of you, before I pass on, help me save our wayward brother. He was there for me when no one else was and I know that man is still somewhere within him, poisoned by his past and present. Help me save him from himself, Bloom. If there was no good left in him, he would not have done so much to minimize the harm he's done. And I know that he is proud of your accomplishments, even as he seeks to get rid of your interference. He has often spoken of you with both admiration of what you have done and with bitter hatred of the actions you have taken against him."  
"Sound like he's kinda of two minds about Bloom," Mirta remarked.

"You mean like how he can't decide what to call her?" Aisha asked.

"Of course," Flora realised. "Phila and Bloom. He really does consider them to be two different people, does he not?"  
"I am afraid so. His mind and soul has been damaged," Daphne agreed. "I do not think he himself realises how fractured part of his mind and perspective has become. But still, I believe he can recover, if he gets the help he so desperately needs."  
Bloom thought about it for a long while. Part of her still burned with fury over what Valtor had done. But then she thought back. On what she had seen and heard on both Pyros and Omega. "Okay, I'll try," she said. "But before we can help him, we have to stop him."

"I agree," Daphne said. "But that is beyond my capabilities, sad as that may be. Hopefully, you or somebody else can devise a way to do so. Now, if you will excuse me, I will return to my rest."  
"It's okay. And thanks for telling me," the redhead responded, a kind smile on her face.

It looked as if a burden had been lifted from the spirit's shoulder and Daphne smiled once again. And then she slowly descended beneath the waves of the Lake Roccaluce again.

Bloom starred across the waves for quite a while after. Then she turned and said: "Let's get moving. There's still at fair bit of walking before we reach Magicalis."

...

Out in the rainy woods, a shape moved. Magical camouflage and the rain both helped obscure the blurry shape as it hurried through, the wind covering the rustling in the leaves as the figure passed. Looking around, the entity found what it sought and carefully moved through the illusion that obscured a tunnel underneath an old tree. It was a recently shaped tunnel, one unmarked on all maps. As the shape followed the tunnel down, the camouflage slowly wore off, revealing Darcy beneath it. She kept following the path that Valtor had created for them, until she arrived at her destination. An old troglodyte city, depopulated by Darkar during the Phoenix War. It had yet to be resettled and most likely wouldn't be for quite a long time, making it a perfect new base for the dandy magi and the Usurpers. The only downsides were the lack of luxuries such as servants and warm water, but the dirty-blonde had lived under far worse circumstances. As she entered the city hall, which they had made their personal residence, she immediately knew something was wrong. Stormy was gently rubbing the brows of a very dizzy looking Valtor with a cold washcloth. In the corner, Icy was sitting and chewing on her lip. She almost looked worried.

"What happened?" Darcy inquired as she fully entered. "Another fit?"  
"Yep. This one almost knocked him to the floor," Stormy replied.

"This is the third one within the last couple of days, Valtor," Darcy said. "I am seriously concerned for your health."  
"I know, I know," the sorcerer replied. "We'll deal with that soon enough. But first, your report."  
"Red Fountain and the Roccalucian Order united and invaded Cloud Tower, as you predicted they would. But so far, they've been unable to trace us. I'd say that this place has officially become a secure lair for us."

"Excellent. Then we can move on to the next step," Valtor said as he got up from the bed he had been sitting on. "Making sure I don't die."  
"I thought the balance knack was supposed to do that," Icy commented.

"Yes. And it's working as advertised," the dandy sorcerer commented. "These fits are from a different problem. You see, it doesn't matter how much you balance the liquids in a cup. Sooner or later it will run over if you keep adding."

Icy was quiet for a moment. "What?"  
"He means that even though the different dragonshades are no longer clashing with one another, there's still a hard limit to how many he can hold a once without causing himself harm," Darcy patiently explained. "A limit he is now reaching."  
"Exactly. Quite frankly, I risk blowing up," Valtor agreed. "But I have a solution for that. I just had to make sure our new base was undetected." He tapped a button on the laptop he had brought along from Cloud Tower. "So what do you say we go on a museum trip today?"

On the computer was the image of a strange orb, safely locked inside a transparent casket.

It was still raining when the seven faeries reached Magicalis.

"Sure wish the weather would have been nicer for our trip," Stella commented as they walked down the streets.

"I dunno," Mirta said, walking hand in hand with Flora. "I think it's rather nice."

"I too find it rather refreshing," Aisha added. "The feeling of..." She stopped and quickly turned around, scanning the empty street behind them.

"Ehm... You okay there?" Bloom asked.

"Yes... I just... I just felt watched again."  
"I thought that was limited to the woods around Alfea," Stella commented.

"Did anyone ever find out what was up with that?" Techna asked.

"Not really. We've, like, kinda been busy with other things. By the way, can we take a break soon? My legs are totally sore after walking all the way here from Roccaluce."

"Looks like they have set up some big umbrellas over there," Flora said, as she pointed at a small café. "How about we take a rest under them?"

"Sounds good to me," Bloom said.

The girls ordered various lunch items and enjoyed a moment of peace, the rain drumming on the umbrella above.

"By the way, Flora," Mirta began, as she put her sandwich down again. "Helia just sent me some of the reviews of the exhibit he was touring with."  
"Oh. How did it go?" the brunette asked.

"Great. He was even mentioned by name a couple of times. Admittedly, he was kinda overshadowed, but he said he didn't mind."  
"You're emailing with Helia?" Stella asked.

"Indeed. Since he considers us to be very inspiring models, he wanted to be able to contact us easily," Flora explained.

"Hmm, I should probably also get Riven's mail," Musa commented. "He's not always around to answer his phone."  
"Yeah, I, like, tots know how that is," Stella commented. "Military folk are totally busy, so I've gotten pretty used to being unable to contact Brandon."  
"It does make dating rather difficult. I mean, we've been on a couple, but there are always so many things that can get in the way."  
"That's why I'm happy me and Databoy can go on simulated dates," Techna added. "You avoid a lot of hassles that way."  
"How is it?" Bloom asked.

"Well, outside a simulator it's mostly a visual experience. One of the reasons I'm rather annoyed we can't borrow the one on Alfea. But you can rent time in one pretty cheap down here, which is when it gets really fun."

"Fun how? Wait, never mind, tots don't want to know," Stella quickly said. "I remember the last time I accidentally asked you about something like that."  
"It's okay Suntop. You're just the sensitive type I guess," the scarred girl joked, earning her a glare from the Solarian princess. "What about you, Aisha? Anyone you're interested in?"  
"Well, I had hoped I would have been able to meet my husband before we get married, but so far that hasn't happened," the princess of Tides replied.

"Yeah, why are you even going along with that?" Musa asked. "I mean, doesn't it bother you that your parents are chaining you to some dude you've never met, instead of letting you choose?"  
"Not at all. It makes things a lot easier for me," Aisha replied. "My parents have the experience and knowledge necessary to pick me a fitting partner. They ensure that it is a union that is beneficial to our kingdom. If I were to choose myself, I'd risk picking somebody who would be detrimental to our realm in the long run."  
"How about you, I dunno, marry somebody you really like?" Stella suggested. "Like me and Brandon, for example. Sure, we aren't married, but we are a couple for a reason."  
"I'm sorry, Stella. I know things work differently in your realm," Aisha said understandingly. "But in my realm, I have a duty to my kingdom. As a royal, I do not have the right to be selfish and marry only for myself. Through my actions and deeds, I must always make sure it is helping my realm to become greater."  
Musa looked to Stella. "So, on a scale of zero to ten, how insulted are you right now?"  
"Not a lot, but only because of whom I'm talking to," Stella commented.

Aisha tilted her head in confusion.

"It is because you just indicated that you think what she is doing is selfish and slightly irresponsible because it is not done with an eye towards her kingdom's prosperity," Flora explained.

"Oh." The princess of Tides paused as she mulled things over. "I just thought she already knew that."  
Stella facepalmed, while Techna chuckled and said: "It's actually kinda adorable, in its own way."

"Do you even know what the guy looks like?" Mirta asked. "Or what his name is?"  
"Oh, I do know his name. It's Nabu. And I know he's from..."  
In one swift motion, Flora had jumped from her chair, turned around and drawn her machete. "Okay, who are you?"

"Wow, sorry, sorry," a man said, as he stepped out from behind a potted bush. He had dark skin, wore a purple tracksuit and his long, chocolate hair was tied together in a whip that reached his waist. "Didn't mean to lurk."

"And yet you have been standing behind that bush and watching us for the last ten minutes. Very well hidden, in fact. The only reason I noticed you was that you bent some of the leaves, probably to get a better look at us."  
"Okay, dude, you gotta admit. That's kinda creepy," Techna added. "Just saying."  
"Yeah, I should probably have said something," the man sighed. "Look, I just recognised you all and wanted to talk with you. Wanted to thank you for all the great things you have done for people and tell you how inspiring you are to folk like me. But then I started to think that maybe I would be bothering you and that I should maybe just leave you alone. So I stood and debated with myself. And before I knew it, I had basically turned into a stalker. Sorry 'bout that."  
Bloom blinked. "Ehm, well, I suppose if you wanted to talk, you can have a seat."

"Many thanks. I'll try not to be a bother."  
"Well, it is nice to, like, meet someone who cares," Stella said proudly, as she scooted her chair to the side to let the man have some space. "I mean, I've met people before who admired what I had done, but they never seem to think about whether they're bothering me."  
"Truly a shame," the man agreed. "By the way, the name's Ophir. As I said, clearly you deserve to have some space. But people like you also deserve to be told how appreciated your good deeds are, so it's all about finding a balance between the two. You deserve the effort."  
"Oh, I quite agree." Stella was practically beaming.

"Well, we are just trying to help," Aisha noted, twirling a lock of hair with her finger.

"Aisha, was it?" Ophir said, as he turned towards her. "I'm curious. No disrespect, but I don't always hear the greatest things about royals. What exactly caused you to bravely charge the Omega portal, heedless of any possible danger that could befall you?"

"Ooh, well, I just believe that I have a duty as princess and royal towards my people," she said, somewhat surprised by the question. "I mean, I admit to not always knowing how... But I really want to help my people."  
"Wow, that is a really enlightened attitude," Ophir praised her. "I wish more of noble society took their job as seriously as you. It would benefit the realms greatly." He paused, before turning towards Stella. "Same goes for you of course."  
"Why, thank you." The blonde's smile was reaching towards her ears.

"Ye-yes. You're re-really kind to say so," Aisha mumbled as she shyly looked away, clearly unused to such concentrated praise.

"Damn, he's good," Techna whispered to Musa. "They're like frickin' putty in his hands."

"I, of course, also wish to help improve the realms," the newcomer added. "So if any of you need assistance, just say the word. I know a bit of magic myself and I have faith that whatever you plan to do next will only benefit the realms."  
"Well, there is currently nothing we need assistance with, but I suppose there is no harm in having more contacts to call upon," Flora noted.

"Oh yes, let's just instantly ally with..." Musa paused. "Where is that light coming from?" She turned around and looked up at the grey clouds, upon which an enormous picture of Valtor was being projected.

"That can't be good," Bloom noted.  
"As if the guy wasn't big-headed enough," the dark-haired musician commented.

"Greetings, citizens of Magicalis," the projection dramatically declared. "I, Valtor, the Bane of Domino." The title was said with such overblown fearmongering that he almost seemed tempted to punctuate it with some spooky noises. "I have come to claim the magical artefact knows as the Eye of the Ancestrals. You have twenty minutes to surrender this incredibly dangerous and valuable artefact, or I will take it for myself and smite anyone who dares stand in my way. Valtor out." Then the projection disappeared.

"Well... That happened," Mirta said confused.

"Gonna be raining ham any second now after that performance," Musa commented, eyeing the clouds with suspicion.

"So he's the bad guy you're all fighting nowadays, correct?" Ophir asked.

"That's simplifying it a fair amount, but yes," Bloom replied. "But what was that artefact he was talking about?"  
"Hang on a second," Techna said and pulled out her laptop. The thing had obviously been altered, although if it had been improved was anyone's guess. It looked like the scarred girl had incorporated parts from at least one toaster and a vacuum cleaner. As it turned on, it made a sound like a jet engine and vibrated with such force that the table shook.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Ophir asked, leaning as far away from the table as he could without falling.

"Depends on how you define 'supposed'," Flora noted, calmingly patting her girlfriend's head as the redhead fought the urge to run away in a panic.

"Okay, according to the tubes, that thing is an artefact forged by the Ancestral Witches, which radiates potent magic. It is so potent it had to be contained in Agador's Box," Techna read aloud.

"Of course he would go after one of his old mistresses' home-cooked creations," Musa commented.

"No... Something's not right," Bloom slowly noted. "I know Valtor likes to be dramatic, but... He doesn't announce his moves like this. It doesn't fit with what he has done before. I think he's using his reputation to scare people away from his real goal."  
"Huh. You know, you totally got a point," Stella noted. "He does favour subterfuge right until he strikes. Giving people a twenty minute head start is, like, not his style."

"So what is he after?" Techna asked.

"I don't know. Could be anything in the city but the Eye," Bloom said. She paused. "What would standard procedure be to protect the Eye?"  
"Against a threat like him? Totally simple, really. Bring the artefact to the central secure vault, focus all security on protecting the entrance and wait for reinforcements," the Solarian explained. There was a short pause. "What? I am, like, dating a soldier and I do pay attention to what Brandon says."  
"So that means that everything else in the museum is vulnerable if he attacks," Flora noted. "I doubt he is after anything outside the museum, otherwise he would probably have declared something else his desired goal."  
Bloom mulled it over. "Then we should go warn the guards. Valtor is gambling on his reputation as a merciless villain to make people do as he wants. With what we know, we could stop his plan."  
"I actually agree with that. We should bring the information we have to the relevant authorities," Flora added. "Mirta, do you wish to stay here?"  
"I'm not leaving you alone," the redhead noted, though she looked slightly nervous. "Not if I can help it."  
"So you said you wanted to help. Still up for that?" Musa sceptically inquired, eyeing Ophir.

"Of course," the man said. "Your actions are brave and deserving of my support."  
"Huh. Not what I expected, but okay then. Just be careful," the black-haired musician responded, as they all got up and hurried towards the museum.

...

"Alright... We're here," Bloom gasped, as she leaned against a lamppost. "Do you think... We can take... A short breather?"

"Bloom, I do not mean to come off as mean or demanding, but you seriously need to work on your stamina," Flora commented. "Maybe run a couple rounds with Stella now and then."  
"Why does everyone... Keep saying that?" the redhead remarked. "Besides... Stella only runs... Half the year."  
"Not my fault that the weather here is tots screwed," the blonde said defensively. "It's too cold half the year."

Across the street stood the large and marble-white building that was the Magical Museum of Magic. Noted designer Qwop Romeo had helped design its look, the success of which was very debated in the city. Some said it added a lot of pleasing curves to the building. Others said it looked like he had glued granite bananas to everything.

"We shouldn't tarry. The sooner we warn the director the sooner they can prepare for Valtor," Musa insisted. "Let's go."  
"Ehm, before you do that, you might want to take that into consideration," Ophir said and pointed. Several obelisks covered in pulsating purple runes popped out of the museum roof at regular intervals. "Seems like they just activated the external protection."

"Do you think they discriminate?" Techna asked. "Because according to the brochure I found online, they did brag about the defences. So I don't feel like testing them."  
"It's probably better if we try calling the museum director," Aisha said. "He must be able to do something."  
"Good plan. Let us hope he is still in his office," Flora agreed. "Techna, can you find any possible numbers we can call?"  
"On it."  
"Sorry to repeat myself, but we should probably also take _that_ into consideration," Ophir commented, as he pointed again.

Musa squinted as she tried to see what the purple-clad man saw, before she commented: "Would be nice if you had some good news."

Hovering above the museum was Valtor. As the defences reacted and charged their magic, he concentrated on the flows of energy. And then he disrupted the internal balance of the security obelisks. Every single one of them simultaneously exploded as their cores detonated, showering the area with rocks. Then, while laughing loudly and maniacally with such volume and gusto that Bloom suspected he was trying really hard to be noticed, Valtor smashed through the roof of the building.

"Well, he's enjoying himself," Techna said.  
"He said twenty minutes," Bloom commented frustratedly, while looking at the clock in her phone. "He's ten frickin' minutes early."  
"Bloom, you said it yourself that everything else was phony," Musa pointed out. "Why wouldn't the time limit be?"  
"Nevermind that, what do we do now?" Aisha asked. "He's inside and they still don't know he's fooling them."

"Techna?" Flora asked.

"Hey, I've been calling for, like, two minutes," the scarred girl said. "Line is as dead as my career as a bamboozle ball player."

"Then we have to hope we can reach the director or security before Valtor gets his hands on whatever it is he wants," Musa added.

"I do not like it," Flora commented. "But it does not seem like we have other options than that and just ignoring the problem. Which would be worse."

"Why can't anything ever go nice and orderly?" Mirta sighed.

"You girls sure do lead some exciting lives," Ophir commented, as they all ran towards the museum.

...

The front desk was empty, a small display shelf spilling brochures over its wooden surface. Around the room were all the hallmarks of a rushed escape, with chairs overturned and spilt drinks staining the floor.

"Where is security?" Flora asked as she looked around.  
"At the central vault, most likely," Stella said. "Normally, they totally wouldn't leave all these things out in the open, but with how powerful Valtor is, well..."  
"This is bad," Bloom said. "We have to hurry. If we can just find a guard or... Or something, then we can warn them that they've been fooled."

"If I knew where they were, I could probably send them a message magically," Musa suggested. "You know, like back at Alfea."

"Well, unless they've already retreated into the vault. That thing looks like even the Great Dragon would have trouble getting in," Techna said, eyeing a picture on her smoking laptop.

"Could you please turn that mechanical monstrosity off? It's making me nervous."  
"Fine," the scarred girl sighed.

"But if they're in the vault, can we even reach them?" Ophir inquired.

"We owe it to them to try," Aisha insisted.

"Agreed," Bloom said. "Let's go."

The group charged off, heading in the general direction of the great basement vault. They passed by valuable exhibits and priceless relics as they hastened to warn the defenders of the museum.

"Do remember that Valtor is already in here," Flora pointed out. "We may in fact already be too late."  
"I know," Bloom replied. "Still... I have to try."  
"Wait," Aisha suddenly said. "I... I sense people. Close by."  
"Guards?" Stella inquired.

"I have absolutely no idea. I only that they're people."  
"Might also be civilians," Mirta said. "Maybe they haven't heard what happened."  
"We should go check either way," Musa said. The group changed directions, following the princess of Tides' direction. They ran down a hall full of paintings and turned through a large doorway.

They stopped.

Darcy, Icy and Stormy, who were busy packing a large casket that seemed like it was made of amber into a bag.

The white-haired witch reacted instantly the moment she recognised them, blasting the doorway with icicles, forcing the group back around the corner. The moment they were out of sight, she went to work conjuring a giant block of ice to fill the doorway.

"Not going to keep them out," Darcy said, while sinking into the floor.

"Tell me something I don't know," Stormy added, while charging lightning in her hands. She and her white-haired companion dove for cover behind the exhibits and the ice shattered from one of Musa's blasts.

"WOULD YOU LEAVE US THE FUCK ALONE FOR ONCE!" Icy yelled, as she fired a couple of freezing blasts.

"Oh, so sorry. Must be so hard on you to be unable to go anywhere without running into a group of people who constantly make you miserable," Bloom sarcastically said, while firing a barrage of fireballs.

"She's kinda got a point there, Icy," Stormy called, while firing a ball lightning.

"SHUT UP AND KEEP FIRING!"

Meanwhile, Flora had tried to outmanoeuvre the two witches by entering the room from another doorway. She drew her blade as she snuck closer to their position. With a swift swing of the razor edge, she knocked Darcy's attack away. "You know," she began, as she swung at the dirty-blond. "Being a big patch of black on the ground does make you rather noticeable in a brightly lit room."

"Indeed. But it's better than nothing," Darcy replied, before launching a ball of black flame, which the brunette dodged.

Stormy rolled into cover behind something, while something else exploded behind her. She wasn't sure what. Could have been one of Techna's grenades or a blast from Musa. She always hated these fights. Being outnumbered at least two to one made it hard to keep an eye on everything and there was constantly something trying to get the better of her.

Like the blood-covered, chainsaw-wielding psychopath who suddenly stood beside her.

The wild-haired witch screamed and jumped away, her brain taking a second to realise that this sudden development made absolutely no sense. Then she heard a loud noise and pain blossomed into a raging inferno of agony in her foot. She looked down at the now bleeding limb, before yelling in pain and spewing out a verbal tsunami of offensive swear words, as she jumped around while clutching the wounded extremity.

"Nice shot," Mirta commented as she let the illusion fade.

"Thanks, Pumpkin," Techna responded. "Say, where did that idea come from?"  
The redhead blushed a bit, before admitting: "I read online that horror movies made for a good excuse to snuggle up with your lover, so I convinced Flora to put one on one night." She paused. "Had nightmares for the next week."

"Worth it?"

"Worth it."

Icy swung her staff, an axehead of ice on the end, at the dodging Musa, splintering a display case and its content in the process. She didn't care that she was no doubt breaking apart priceless historic relics, she just wanted to make sure that at least one of those obnoxious faeries ceased to be a bother. It had frustrated her to hear that Techna had survived and incensed her that the girls had showed up at the museum, two facts the white-haired witch was channelling into a formidable series of attacks. Musa, whose primary weapons were for being up close and personal, found it hard to get close enough to even attempt an attack. And Icy was constantly closing in, forcing the black-haired musician on the defensive and giving her little time to concentrate on magic.

A string of water suddenly lashed out and wrapped around her arm, jerking her away. Aisha sent another whip from her flask, which grabbed the struggling witch's other hand. Musa saw her opportunity to strike and charged.

Icy's smirk was the first indicator that she had made a major tactical blunder.

The shard of ice lodged in her stomach was the second.

She crashed to the floor and wrapped her arms around her bleeding stomach as she mentally tried to push through the pain.

Icy didn't cease her assault, sending another shard of frozen water at the briefly stunned Aisha. The piece hit her square in the forehead and sent her tumbling into a display case. Isabella charged her, her staff growing a long point at the end. Suddenly, her feet stuck together and she fell to the floor. She struggle to get up, confused by the seemingly invisible bindings around her ankles.

"Sorry about that. I don't like throwing pretty girls to the floor," Ophir offered apologetically. "But since you kinda seemed like you wanted to murder my lovely acquaintance here, I kinda had to." He quickly conjured a shield to block the icicles that were launched at him.

"Alright, I locked the vault. It'll take them..." Valtor said as he waltzed into the room. He stopped, briefly surprised by the scene in front of him. He looked around, at the duelling Darcy and Flora, the bleeding Stormy and Musa, and the still struggling Icy and Ophir. And then he eyed Bloom. "So that whole part about you not interfering pretty much went in one ear and out the other I see."  
"Hey, I actually tried this time around," Bloom argued. "I was actually going to just tell the staff that you were bluffing and then leave, but you just had to show up ten minutes early."  
The dandy magi rubbed his face with a frustrated groan, before pointing out: "Then you were still trying to interfere, just indirectly."

"Look, I don't care what you came here for, Valtor," the redhead insisted. "I've talked with Daphne. You need help."

"And?"  
"And you seriously need help."  
"How redundant. But yes, I'd like some help, though I suspect we mean it in two different ways," the well-dressed magi commented. "So you heard part of the tale from Daphne and, what, now you want to play psychoanalyst?"  
"Well, I want you to stop wrecking everything," Bloom started. "But I'd settle for you not blaming me for Daphne dy..." Her words were cut off as Valtor's magic flared and her body fell under his control.

"Don't. Go there. Phila," he hissed, taking deep breaths.

Bloom could see him slightly shaking, as he tried to calm himself. She had been giving it a lot of thought ever since talking with Daphne and Valtor's reaction had confirmed her suspicions. She wasn't a therapist by any stretch of the word, but going to one so often had taught her a couple of things. And it was clear to her that beneath the calm and controlled magi, there was an unstable, emotionally charged mess ready to break through if sufficiently provoked. A mess that seemed to hold her in great contempt. Any doubts she had about Daphne's assessment of her brother vanished. Part of her had suspected that maybe the ghost was just excusing her brother's actions. Maybe that was still the case, but the redhead no longer doubted that there truly was something deeply wrong inside Valtor.

"Now then, while it was not part of the plan, I'll gladly take this opportunity to put you to sleep," Valtor growled as he stepped closer.

Bloom knew what she had to do. She focused, remembering the instructions she had gotten from Maia. Slowly, her dragonflame pulsed within her and Valtor's control faded. And with a sudden and swift move, she fired a piercing lance of fire.

The dandy magi froze, then looked at the floor were his arm now lay uselessly. "Well," he commented, as the severed limb slowly hovered up and reattached. "Somebody has learned a couple of new tricks. But don't think that means you can beat me." With a sudden pulse of magic, he flung several tiles of the floor at the redhead, the stone squares twirling through the air.

The redhead dodged and fired another lancing blast.

Valtor hardened himself, strengthening his body with his own flame. The blast dug into his shoulder, severely searing it. He gritted his teeth as he acknowledged that she had gotten stronger. He went on the offensive again, enveloping her in a ball of darkness and silence. Then he charged a powerful beam of solar light.

He fired, but the beam redirected moments before striking the confused redhead. Stella bit her lip as she tried to force the beam back against the magi himself. It smashed fruitlessly against his barrier.

"You should have stayed out of this. You do not have my sister's resistance to my powers," he said and clenched his fist. Stella wheezed and whimpered as she felt her bones contract and almost splinter. Then a blast of fire almost hit Valtor and he was forced to change focus again, as Bloom had made her way out of the isolating sphere. He sped up his perception, giving himself time to analyse the battlefield. Darcy and Flora were still fighting, Musa had jumped Icy and Techna was making sure Stormy didn't try anything. That meant his allies were unable to assist him, but also that three of his enemies were tied up keeping it so. He saw that Aisha had already made a move, shaping water out of a bottle. He saw Mirta hiding behind a display, probably trying to think of an illusion that could shock him. Four against one.

It was almost a challenge. But he didn't have time to play.

He focused for a second and allowed his brain to resume normal speed as his dragonflame blazed. His control stretched out. All pain receptors shut down, allowing him to ignore a direct hit from both Bloom and Stella. And then he clenched his hands. Mirta, Stella and Aisha all gasped as they felt their bodies stiffen, Valtor controlling them like puppets.

Bloom froze as she noticed her friends' peril.

"So, I think our little game is over, Phila," Valtor commented. "Now, what do you say you come over here and..."  
"If you do that, I'll teleport this thing far away," Ophir said, holding up the casket.

Valtor stopped. Then he slowly asked: "Name your terms."  
"You let them go. Nobody else gets hurt. I give you the box and then you and your little lady friends go away."

The dandy magi paused. "Accepted," he said as he released control.

Bloom gritted her teeth, but made no move to attack. She acknowledged that Valtor was still too strong for them to handle, though she took some satisfaction in the fact that the gap between them had lessened.

Carefully, Ophir made his way to the dandy magi and held out the amber artefact, which Valtor accepted. Slowly, Darcy, Icy and Stormy respectively slithered, walked and hobbled over to him. Without ever breaking eye contact, they left the room.

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Was that a good idea?" Musa asked.

"He was still too strong. It was never the plan to fight him anyway," Bloom said. "I just wonder what he wants with the box."  
"Well, Agador's box is useful when it comes to containing magic. Maybe he needs it for an artefact he plans on stealing," Techna suggested. "I dunno, he wasn't exactly forthcoming."

"I'm just happy it's over," Mirta sighed as she sat down on the floor. "Flora, I'll never get why you want to make a career out of living like this."  
"Anyways, thanks for the quick thinking... Ophir?" Stella began, as she looked around. "Hey, where did he go?"  
The girls scanned the room.

"Did he just run off without saying goodbye?" Aisha asked.

"Seriously, there's something weird about that guy," Musa commented. "I don't like him."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean doesn't it seem strange how he came out of nowhere, dispensed dozens of compliments and then disappeared the moment Valtor had what he needed?"

"What, jealous that Riven doesn't compliment you as much?" Stella cheekily asked.  
"At least I know Riven means it when he says something," the black-haired musician huffed.

"Jokes aside, I think Cacophony has a point. Something was awfully fishy about that guy," Techna added, as the girls went off to find the security.

On a lamp in the now silent room sat a pigeon. It curiously tilted its head as it eyed the leaving faeries. Then it set off, flying out through an open window.


	19. A Chance for Redemption

Chapter 19: A Chance for Redemption

Radius signed his name on the invitation and added it to the pile of finished ones. He knew he could easily get a servant or computer to just get it over with, but he felt that such an important event deserved a personal touch. He checked off another name on the guest list and began writing the next invitation. Halfway through, he stopped. Something wasn't right. He looked back at the list. Seemed like they were planning on inviting just about everybody they knew and even some they didn't. And yet when he looked at it, part of himself found it... Incomplete. It suddenly struck him. An embarrassed laughter escaped him.

"What is it, deary?" Cassandra asked, as she walked into the office. "Are the invitations that funny?"

"Not really," Radius replied. "But it just... It just seemed so silly. It just occurred to me that we've forgotten some people for the list."  
"Really?" the countess inquired.  
"Yes. Both my daughter and my ex-wife should be invited to the wedding. It is an important day for our family after all." The king grabbed his pen again. "I'll have that fixed in a jiffy."  
Cassandra bit her lip. She had hoped her husband-to-be wouldn't notice. But both Stella and Queen Luna knew the king too well. They could easily ruin everything. Not that the countess blamed them for trying. She sighed and said: "We are not inviting Luna or Stella."  
The king stiffened. "Of course we won't," he said without emotion, the mark forcing him to obey. He crumpled the invitation he was halfway through writing and began on a new one.

The countess shook her head and left the room, unable to be close to Radius any longer.

She began wandering aimlessly through the halls of the castle, hoping to find some peace of mind, but her search was interrupted when she suddenly heard someone demand: "...be shoulder-length, nine centimetres maximum. And here's a list of banned make-up. I will not be seen on television with some faded, black dye smeared on my face. The lipstick must be within these nuances and..."  
"Chimera?" Cassandra questioned, as she walked into her daughter's room. "What are you doing?"  
"Preparing for our big day tomorrow," the sorcerer said nonchalantly. By her side stood a servant, nervously writing down her numerous instructions, while also carrying the different prints and the like she had produced for him.

"For what?" The countess took one of the diagrams, which showed rows of different shades of dark red and purple. "The repainting of the walls?"  
"No, Mom, that's tots not for the wallpaper," Chimera said, as she handed the thing back to the servant. "It's about lipstick. Solaria Today will be filming the send-off party tomorrow and I must look my best for the occasion." She paused, cocking her head. "Speaking of looking your best, you should seriously get some sleep, Mom. You got some major bags under your eyes."

"Make-up will take care of that," Cassandra commented, as she took another diagram from the overburdened man. "What is this? Why have you made a blueprint of your head?"  
"Mom, it's, like, an overview of how my hair has to look," Chimera said, her tone indicating that she found this to be obvious.

"When did you grow dissatisfied with your hair?"  
"I'm not, but it must be perfect for the occasion. It's an outdoors event, which means that if the light falls on me from an angle, it could obscure my face in shadows," the dark-haired sorceress explained. "So my hair, especially that which frames my face, must be cut according to these precise angles. Because if it gets too short, my face will look too big. I can't show too much forehead. And, like, there must be balance between..."  
"Okay, okay, stop, enough," Cassandra interrupted. "Just... Just don't be hard on your stylists if they can't get things exactly right."  
"Why shouldn't they be able to do that? It's what we pay them for," Chimera replied dismissively.

"That's what _Radius_ pays them for," the countess corrected her. "And you would do well to treat them with respect. I don't want to hear from your father that a crying maid came by because you fired her. Despite the fact that you _can't_ fire people, especially not for accidentally picking a dress with the wrong shade of red."  
"I should be able to fire people," Chimera mumbled annoyed. "I bet if Stella fired somebody he wouldn't mind."

Cassandra sighed and pinched her nose. She felt at a loss. Valtor pulled her around like a marionette, her husband-to-be had been reduced to a crown-wearing sock puppet and her own daughter was growing more and more erratic every day. The countess felt caged by the events that transpired around her. She was about to become married to the king and yet she felt utterly and completely powerless.

And she was bitterly aware that she herself was the architect of this hell she now found herself trapped in.

...

Stella walked up to the wrought-iron gate of Alfea. Then she turned around, impatience chiselled into her face. Little over a month had passed since the encounter with Valtor in Magicalis and now spring had come. Sure, it was still a little chilly, but Stella had started her running a bit earlier than usual. Both to kick off a couple of kilos she had picked up during the winter and to help out her friend.

The latter part was straining her patience somewhat.

Bloom stumbled along the road, gasping for air, while using the outer wall as support. Her face was drenched in sweat and her hair hung in thick, soggy clumps.

"Well, that took a while longer than I, like, expected," Stella commented, looking at the clock in her phone. "We're late by an entire hour."

"Okay... Fine... Late..." Bloom gasped, fighting to get some oxygen into her body. "I'll just... Sit down... And die... For a little bit."  
"And people say I'm dramatic," the blonde commented, as she gave the winded fairy a supporting shoulder. "Oh hey, there's Techna."  
The scarred girl jogged across the courtyard and said: "Hey, girls, I see you're back. How was it?"

The Solarian blonde eyed the gasping redhead. "Slow. I think I need to re-evaluate how to approach this."  
"That's great," Techna said. "By the way, your dad is getting married."  
" _What_?"

"It's on TV and everything," the magenta-haired girl continued. "Well... Was, but I recorded it for you."

Stella was off in a flash, leaving Bloom to stumble around without support until Techna gave her a hand. The Solarian blonde charged through the halls, burst through the doors of her cluster and demanded: "Where is it?"  
"The recording?" Flora asked, looking up from her book. "It is already ready. Techna figured you would want to see it immediately."  
Musa, who was in the process of doing her homework, looked up with a: "Well, this ought to be interesting."  
Stella fiddled with the controls as Techna and Bloom entered, before finally getting the recording to play.

"And in today's news, King Radius Guildenstern of Solaria has finally announced the date of his marriage," the ogre newscaster said. "Five inter-dimensional standard days from now, he will begin his marriage to Countess Cassandra Pollon with the send-off party. You can go to our website to have this date converted into whatever calendar you use locally. It is expected that the marriage party will commence two local days later."

"Unbelievable," Stella snarled. "Hasn't she taken enough? Now she's forcing him to marry her?"  
"Ehm, wasn't he already going to?" Musa asked.

"My father would never marry her after what she has done," the blonde insisted. "She must be forcing him."  
"Or at the very least making him see no problem in their behaviour," Flora noted. "I assume you have not been invited."  
"Of course not. I would... Is that Chimera?"  
Indeed, the black-haired sorcerer appeared on the screen, beaming at being the centre of attention. "I for one think this will be a glorious ceremony for everybody involved," she said, voice dripping with self-satisfied smugness. "We have of course also tightened security. With events like these, you want to keep out undesirables. Hoodlums of all sorts who think they deserve to be part of it all."

Stella made a strange noise, her hands twitching as if she desperately wanted to choke something. Or someone.

"Your sis is really brutal at this whole sibling rivalry thing," Techna commented.

"She's not my sister," the blonde growled, before turning towards Bloom. "You said that you've been learning more about that ritual that could kick Valtor out of people, right?"  
"Yeah. Though I can't promise I can do it reliably," the redhead responded. "But if I have the time, I guess I could pull it off."  
"Good. We seriously need to save my father before he gets hitched to that horrid woman."  
"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Flora asked, one eyebrow raised. "Storm in and yell about how much you protest the marriage?"  
"That would never work," Bloom commented. "But we can't expect anybody else to do anything about this either. Not without evidence. And Valtor has become quite good at ensuring there isn't any."

"Hmm, I do suppose you have a point there," the brunette commented. "And letting Valtor remain in control of Solaria is pretty dangerous. With this in mind, I would like to offer my assistance on the condition that we come up with a proper plan of action."  
"I've been talking with Mom about this," Stella began, as she began pacing. "She too thinks there's something completely wrong with my father. But she can't prove anything and therefore, like, she can't take direct action. I wonder if they even invited her." She paused. "You're right, Flora. If we are to help my father, we totally need to plan this. I know just who can give me the info we need."

...

Icy greedily dug the spoon into the bucket and scooped up part of the ice cream before jamming it into her mouth with a delighted expression. "Thanks, Darcy. I've been looking forward to this for ages."  
"You're welcome," the dirty-blonde, who was using a mirror to assist her with her make-up, said. "Is it as good as you hoped?"  
"It's obviously a bit of a knock-off, but close," the white-haired witch admitted. "Once Valtor gets Domino up and running again, I'm sure I can get some of the real stuff." She paused. "Almost enough to make me nostalgic for that place. I remember I used to get this for dessert."  
"Well, it's nice to see you enjoy something," Stormy said. "You've been... Really grumpy lately."  
"Things haven't exactly been panning out like they should." Icy dug another piece of ice cream out. "If we don't get rid of those meddling faeries, we'll end up like we always do."  
"True, they've had some victories. But so have we," Darcy said, eyeing Agador's box. The amber chest stood on a nearby table, small orbs of energy dully shimmering with colours floating within.

Stormy turned her attention to the dirty-blonde as she began applying her make-up again. "Why do you even wear make-up? You're not exactly the hitting the town type."

"Habit, I suppose," Darcy responded. "On Horus, it was just necessary. Helps reduce the glare of the sun. Even outside my homeworld, I find that it helps, even if only a little bit." She shifted her attention to Valtor, who was walking by outside, whistling while sweeping the floor with a broom. "So what is our next step?"  
The dandy magi ceased his cleaning as he turned towards her. "I have some targets in mind and certain recent... _Events_ ," he said, frustration lacing every part of the word. "Have caused me to consider some things. I will tell you more once I've finalized my plan." He resumed sweeping, commenting: "It's so dusty we're actually leaving footprints. Maybe I should also wash the floor. Could sure use a cleaning knack right about now."

"A bit of a shame we don't have Cloudtower to serve our needs anymore, but we'll manage," Darcy said, as she returned to her mirror. "Especially as long as I have the money to buy groceries at that village nearby."

"Hey, Icy, can I have a bowl of that?" Stormy asked, pointed at the tub of ice cream.

The white-haired witch stared at it for a moment, obviously unwilling, before sighing: "Fine. You can go get your own spoon and bowl."  
"You know, I'd like a bowl too. I must confess I am rather curious," Darcy said, removing her attention from her mirror.

"Hey, if you're sharing, I'd like a bowl too," Valtor said, as he peeked into the room. "Could really go for some near-authentic Dominian ice cream after a day of hard work."

Icy glared at them, before returning her attention to her ice cream, a look of saddened defeat plastered on her face. "You better buy me another tub tomorrow," she growled, pointing threateningly at Darcy with her spoon. "And that one will be mine and mine alone."

...

Nova sat on a bench in the courtyard, eyes closed as she focused on a book she had read. Well, read was probably the wrong way to put it. Her word knack made the orange-haired girl capable of instantaneously absorbing all the knowledge held in written form. Many of her classmates were jealous, as it made a loy homework rather easy for her. Still, there was a world of difference between reading a book and instantly knowing everything it held, so she enjoyed occasionally leaning back and slowly going through the absorbed knowledge.

"Hey, Nova," she heard Stella's voice. "Do you have time or are you, like, busy sleeping?"  
"I'm awake." She opened her eyes, noting that Stella was accompanied by her friends. "What's up, Stella?"  
"I need info. I know you stay a lot more in contact with our old friends than I do. They must know something about the upcoming royal wedding."  
"Well, normally I'm not supposed to spread this sort of thing around," the elf said, stroking a lock of hair. "But I do suppose that it's okay, since you're an old friend. And a princess friend to boot. See, I may know someone who was not invited, but may have manage to get a copy of the invitation, which includes a schedule of the entertainment. And I may have seen said invitation, which means everything in it may be safely archived inside me. Hypothetically, would that be helpful?"

"Are all your friends spy movie clichés?" Bloom inquired of Stella.

Nova giggled, before responding: "Sorry. Just always totally wanted to pull that. But yeah, sure, I'll tell you what I know. Give me some paper and I'll even write it down."

It didn't take long for the girls to provide the elf with some paper and not long after they had a complete list of all the entertainment that would be provided.

"So how exactly does this help us?" Musa asked, as they returned to the common room.

"All these people are allowed in. If we can successfully imitate one of the groups, then we can also get in," Stella said. "Plus, I'm pretty sure some of the staff must have noticed that something's up with Dad by now. If I can get in contact with them, that'll help smooth things out."  
"Sounds like a plan. So, who do we have?" Techna said, as she took a look at the paper. "The Flying Biker Chicks. Wow, sounds like your father's got actual taste."

"Apparently, they're aircycle riders. Professional stuntwomen too," Aisha noted, looking over Techna's shoulder. "I don't think we could pull that off."

"None of us are particularly proficient, no," Flora agreed.

"Sun jugglers. Who are they?" Bloom asked.

"People who, like, specialise in juggling flaming objects," Stella said. "It looks really cool, but most of us couldn't do it without setting fire to ourselves. Though with your fire knack, you could possibly pull it off. Do you know how to juggle, Bloom?"  
"Ehm... Well... I might have dabbled in some juggling," the redhead slowly replied.

"Oh, I remember that," Aisha said. "You smashed Sabrina's glasses with one of your balls."  
"Don't remind me," Bloom embarrassedly replied.

"So that's also a no go," Musa said. "Wait, is that..."  
"Yes it is," Techna interrupted, her smile widening every second. "It's perfect."  
"It could work," Flora agreed.

"You've got to be kidding," Musa groaned.

"What? What?" Stella asked. "Come on, what is it?" Techna pointed at the invitation and the blonde read aloud: "Binky's Clown Group. For all ages. _What_?"

"It will require some convincing costumes, but as long as some of us can act it should work," Flora noted. "After all, an incompetent clown can also be funny, as long as they are paired with somebody who can act as a bit of a straight man."  
"You sure do know your clowns," Bloom commented.

"I just happen to like comedy."

"Well, I suppose we've been through worse than being torn around by hysteric noble whelps," Musa commented, though she sounded less than pleased. "But we'll need to look clownish if this is going to work."

"Which will also help keep us hidden. Bonus," Techna noted. She focused for a moment and her hair curled into a small, rainbow afro. "There we go. My hair is ready for clowning. I also have some random junk in my closet that I think will help."  
"Great. I can just imagine how we'll look when we, like, dramatically swoop in to stop my father's wedding," Stella noted flatly. "Dressed in ridiculous clothes and make-up. It'll be tots spectacular."

"Clowns aren't just a random assortment of junk though," Bloom noted. "We'll need proper uniforms. Something in sharp colours and the like."  
"Like Stella's clothing?" Aisha asked.

The Solarian blonde snorted and said: "Are you kidding? My art is not clownish in the least. They are high expressions of fashion and why are you all looking at me like that." She paused. "Oh no, my clothes are not meant for clowning. You can forget all about... You too, Techna?" She sounded a bit betrayed.

"Well, it does fit the criteria," the scarred girl admitted. "Think of it as free exposure."  
"If I, like, throw you out the window, would you also call that free exposure?" the Solarian blonde growled.

...

A couple of hours later, Musa sat by her computer, drumming her fingers against the table. She clicked a few links and looked up some news, mostly to keep her mind occupied. She glanced at the clock and sighed.

Finally, her computer made a beeping noise, causing the musician to jolt out of her near-hibernation. She clicked a flashing button and Riven's face appeared on the screen.

"I know, I know," he began. "I'm late."  
"By two hours, to be precise. Let me guess, training or something?"  
"Yeah. Cordatorta had us go through some new exercises with our hoverbikes. I mean, I'm good, but it was part of team training. And Timmy, while good with piloting, was never that handy behind the wheel of a hoverbike. So it kinda dragged out."  
"I assume that going off to meet with a hot girl wouldn't be a good enough excuse?" Musa cheekily asked.

"Heh, Sky actually tried that once when he had a date planned with Bloom," Riven replied. "I believe Cordatorta informed him that unless Bloom was currently kidnapped and needed him to save her from an evil dragon, then he had exactly three seconds to shut up and get back down into the mud with the rest of us."

Musa giggled, before saying: "Alright, but now that you are here, how is it going?"  
"Body's all kinds of sore, but what else is new," he commented. "Look, I'd love to exchange pleasantries, but the message you sent said this was super important. So what is this really about?"

The black-haired musician sighed. "Straight to the point. As usual." She faintly smiled. "Fine. Stella's dad is getting married to Countess Cassandra and we suspect she is one of Valtor's agents."

"I did hear the old coot was going a bit coo coo," the magenta-haired soldier said. "You sure he's not just getting senile? Or experiencing a mid-life crisis?"  
"Well, I'm not saying it is impossible," Musa admitted. "Nobles can be weird. But Stella knows her dad and if she says he's being mind-controlled, I'm inclined to believe her."

"Fair enough. So he's getting crazy and hitched. But I repeat myself," Riven snarked. "So then what?"  
"She wants Bloom to free him from Valtor's influence. So we're going to infiltrate the party, what with Stella being out in the cold currently. And we could use some backup."  
Riven sighed and said: "Saladin is going to flay our hides for this. Again. Alright, I know that Sky, Timmy and Helia got invited, so we should be able to offer support."  
"Helia got invited?" Musa questioned. "I mean, good for him, he's a nice guy and all. But why?"  
"Apparently because he ran around Harmony showing off his finger-paintings." Riven shrugged. "So that makes him an up and coming artist. Plus, he's Saladin's grandson. So now every noble and their grandmother wants him to come by so that if he gets really famous, they can claim to have helped him on the way."

"Nobles," Musa groaned.

"But yeah, we can probably help out somehow. Now, anything else?"  
"Yes. So do you have any idea how busy you'll be these next couple of days?" Musa began, as she opened her calendar.

"Nope. Top brass likes to keep our schedule flexible."  
"Figures. But if you do find out you have the time, I'd like for us to go on another date."  
"Already?" Riven paused, before smacking his forehead. "Shit, no, sounded bad. I mean, I'm just a bit surprised, that's all."

"Why?"  
"Well, I've been on dates before. With people other than Darcy. It's just..." Riven seemed to fumble with the words. "Just not repeatedly with the same person. Besides Darcy and, well, I'm still not sure whether she actually liked me or if I was just always a tool to her."  
"Well, you are a bit of a tool," Musa pointed out.

"Good one. But yeah, that was why I was surprised." Riven shrugged. "I tend to scare people off. I guess I was too much for them to handle."

"Oh, don't worry. I can handle you just fine if need be. So, is that a yes?"  
"Yeah. Yeah I guess it is." Riven paused. "I'll be looking forward to that. I'll text you when I actually know what my schedule will almost look like. So, was that it?"

"Yeah. I'll let you go back to resting. Sounds like you need it," Musa said. "See ya."  
"See ya." The call ended.

Musa stretched her arms and got up from her chair. She opened her door, only to almost be knocked at by a surprised Aisha. "Oh, sorry. Techna sent me over to ask if we could have some of those patches you use for your clothes. Said they could be used to enhance the clownish look." The princess of Tides paused. "And that was when Stella called her a fashion traitor and some other things I didn't quite catch."  
"Eh, she'll get over it." Musa turned around with a: "Come in. I'll get them for you."  
"Thanks. Soooo..." Aisha tipped back and forth on her feet, as Musa went through her cupboards. "I, ehm, I actually got here a couple of minutes ago. But I, well, I heard you talking, so I decided to wait. So I wasn't listening intentionally or anything..."  
"Aisha, is there a point coming up?" The black-haired musician pulled out a little plastic basket full of fabric pieces.

"Yeah. Why do you insult Riven?" Aisha tilted her head. "I mean, I gather that you like him and potentially want to have a relationship with him. So why try to push him away?"  
Musa halfway snorted and giggled. "Okay, trust me, I'm not pushing him away," she clarified. "Riven likes having a verbal sparring partner. He'd find me boring if I didn't challenge him now and then. Admittedly, he's still not as tough on me as he is on Sky, but I think that's because he's still testing the waters."

"Huh. How odd." Aisha rubbed her chin. "I'm sorry, but that just doesn't fit at all with what I know of courting."  
"Yeah, welcome to real life." Musa placed the basket on a table. "So what were you taught?"  
"Well, the woman is supposed to be demure, supportive and loyal," Aisha said. "She is to be her man's gentle aide and his most loyal follower."  
"Are we talking a wife or a dog?" Musa snarked. "Look, Aisha, here's the thing. All couples are different. I'm not saying a person couldn't be perfectly happy leaving all the thinking to their partner. But people are different. I'd go crazy if somebody tried to force me into that."  
"But it's optimal for courting," Aisha countered.

"For some people," Musa said, a tinge of harshness in her voice. She took a deep breath, before continuing with: "Sorry. I know it's not your fault. It's just those kinds of things that frustrate me a lot. My point is, relationships between people vary because we're all individuals. Therefore, there is no such thing as optimal courting. Sure, you can say general stuff like be nice, be considerate and so on. But couples, all couples, are different. Those rules. They're not there to help you. They're there to form you."  
Aisha didn't look completely convinced, but she didn't look completely certain of what she had learnt either.

"Taste varies. What if your future husband doesn't even like demure, quiet women? I know I sometimes joke about how boys will be boys, but they're not all cut from the same cloth," the black-haired musician argued. "The only way you could decide how to court somebody, as you put it, is by actually getting to know the guy."  
"You... Do have a point," Aisha slowly admitted. "I'll contact my parents. I should at the very least be allowed to meet him before the wedding." She paused. "Thanks. You've given me something to think about."  
"No problem. Here's the fabric." Musa handed her the basket. "Now let's hope we can do this without having Stella go frothing from the mouth crazy."

...

"I dread the day you won't have me around to keep check on things," Brandon groaned, as he, Sky, Riven, Helia and Timmy made their way through Magicalis. "Seriously, why didn't you bring formal clothes? I've seen your closets back home, they're packed."

"Well I just thought the one they gave us at Red Fountain would be enough," the prince argued.

"That's a parade uniform. You use that for representing Red Fountain, not Eraklyon."

"It's stupid. One set of swanky clothes should be more than enough," Riven argued.

"Then why are you here?" Timmy asked.

"Because I don't have swanky clothes besides my parade uniform and I'll get in enough trouble without dragging Red Fountain's name into it."

"So is anyone else worried about this?" Brandon asked. "I mean, we are helping them target the king. If we don't kick Valtor out of him, or worse, find out it was never Valtor to begin with, this could have severe consequences."

"Yes, well, we'll just have to tackle things as they come along and improvise a lot," Sky stated.

"Last time you did that, you left me stranded in the middle of a blistering wasteland."

The blond prince chuckled embarrassedly and the group walked into a clothing store.

"Well, maybe this will all go well and we can just hang back and enjoy the complimentary drinks," Helia said, as he began browsing.

"Do you really think that'll happen?" Riven asked.

"No. But one can hope." He paused. "How about this one?"  
"Eh, I dunno. I think it'll get pretty hot," the magenta-haired soldier said, as he inspected the suit. "I mean, it is a desert planet."

"I don't think you're going to find a smoking with short sleeves," the artist replied.

"So did the girls mention how they were going to pull this off?" Brandon asked.

"Nah. They'll give us the details when we meet up with them," the magenta-haired soldier said.

"Good thing we got the day off for this. Otherwise we could have gotten into big trouble," Timmy mentioned.

"We'll get into big trouble anyway, when they find out what we've been up to," Brandon commented. "Seriously, it's starting to spread rumours. Apparently, because of everything we've been involved with, we've managed to make quite the rap sheet."

"Eh, I can handle that just fine," Riven added. "My major problem is that I'd rather have spent this day off with Musa."  
"Oh yeah, you two started dating," Helia commented. "How is that going?"

"I haven't scared her off yet. So that's something."  
"Something? I'd say it's downright miraculous," Sky quipped.

"No, miraculous would be Bloom wanting to hook up with a guy who has all the brainpower of a cantaloupe."

"Okay, so maybe I'm not that smart. But in my chest beats a real heart rather than that clump of coal you lug around."  
"I swear by the Dragon, I will do something horrible to the two of you if you don't stop," Brandon groaned.

"Posturing aside, I am curious, especially since you have a reputation," Helia began. "Is this genuine or just fooling around?"  
"Reputation?" Riven asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Some girls I talked with referred to you as having all the empathy of a dead fish and the manners of a toilet seat."  
"Ouch," Timmy winced. "What did you do?"  
"I was just honest with them," Riven said defensively with a shrug.

"Which translates to being rude and utterly bereft of compassion," Brandon commented.

"It just gave me the impression that you were never really in touch with your or other people's emotions," the black-haired artist continued, as he picked out another smoking. "How about this one?"  
"I'm going to be sweating like an ogre in a sauna," Riven groaned. "Fine. But expect me to complain a lot."  
"What else is new?" Sky asked.

"Can it. At least I have the excuse of a limited budget. You have your entire royally privileged wardrobe to pull from and you still have to buy new clothes because your brain has more holes than a sieve." The magenta-haired soldier placed the clothes on the disk and paid for them.

After finding a suit for Sky, they left the store again.

"You never did answer my inquiry," Helia said, as they walked down the street.

Riven sighed and said: "Truth is, I don't know. I think I'm serious and I do like her. But how the fuck should I know? I can't just put a stick in my ear and get a reading."  
"True. Emotions can be… Odd like that. Uncertain and confusing." Helia seemed lost in thought for a moment. "But I find there's a way to answer this particular question. Could you see yourself being with Musa? That is, seriously being with her?"

The other boys were silent as Riven began chewing on his lip. "I… I guess. Yeah, I actually could." He was silent for a moment, before continuing: "I've been thinking about asking… You know… But I don't know if it's the right time."  
"Aw, it's so cute seeing you being all shy and stuff," Sky teased. Riven's leg lashed out with the speed of a viper, knocking one of the blond's legs away from under him. He fell to the pavement like a sack of wet cement. "Help. I'm wounded."  
"Kinda deserved that one," Timmy said, as he and the others continued walking. "Look, just ask her. You never know if there'll ever be a right moment. At least when you ask, you've put the option on the table."  
"Easier said than done. Your girlfriend did all the work," Riven replied.

"And don't I know it," Timmy sighed. "If she hadn't, if she had been as shy as me, who knows how long it would have taken. So yes, Riven, I'm telling you to not be like me. I admit my flaws and advise you do not adopt them."

"He's got a point," Brandon interjected. "Give yourself some time if you feel the need, but don't take forever. And don't procrastinate with something this important." He paused as Sky hobbled up to them. "As my prince here learned, that only leads to more trouble."  
"Yeah, yeah. Keep bringing that up and I'll have a dungeon cell with your name on it when we get back to Eraklyon," Sky mumbled, as he rubbed his sore knee.

...

The boys walked through the woods to the little glade they had agreed to meet the girls in. The faeries had already arrived and sat by some picnic tables, eagerly discussing something. Except Stella, who sat silently with folded arms and an expression like a thundercloud.

"What happened to little Miss Sunshine?" Riven asked as they approached.  
"Screw you," came the blonde's curt reply.

"There is an element of our plan that Stella found… Disagreeable," Flora tried diplomatically. "Also, nice to see you all."  
After the customary exchange of hellos and greeting, the boys sat down to hear the girls out.

"So here's the plan," Musa began. "We'll infiltrate the party as entertainers, while you guys get in as guests. I assume all your invitations involved a plus one?"  
"Yep. So I'll be using mine to bring Riven along," Timmy said.

"You'll make a cute couple," Sky just, before suddenly wincing. Clutching his leg, he said. "Okay, first of all, no more kicking the sore leg, guys. Secondly, Riven, I know you just kicked me, but I'm pretty sure somebody else also did. Who was it?"  
"It'll forever be a mystery," Musa dryly commented. "Anyway, once we're in we will attempt to separate Radius from everyone else. Then Bloom with use the ritual."  
"So how exactly will you go about infiltrating?" Helia questioned.

Techna responded by pulling up a sack and emptying some of its content on the table, revealing colourful clothes, gag items and similar. "We're going as clowns."  
Sky and Riven began laughing while the other boys looked like they had to make an effort not to join them. Stella's expression got even sourer.

"Where did you get all this junk?" Riven asked, still laughing. "Seriously, look at this. Was this designed by a blind hermit? Look. Brown splotches on teal. What is this?"  
"You're going to make fantastic clowns. Seriously, I'm laughing just at the idea," Sky said. "Look. This one has flowers on it. I think they're real flowers."  
"For your information, much of the clothing was kindly donated by Stella, from her private collection of home-made fashion," Flora explained.

Riven and Sky, still chuckling, glanced at Stella. The Solarian blonde had an expression that made it clear that she was trying really hard to kill them with her mind. The two boys made a brave effort at quieting down, but seeing her expression just made both of them roar with laughter again.

"Hate you," she mumbled.

"Deary, it's okay. You just like happy and bright colours and that just so happens to be what clowns also dress in," Brandon tried diplomatically. "An overlap there is not an indication that your work is awful or anything."  
Stella's expression got a bit less grumpy. She sighed and said, her voice still laced with smouldering anger: "I've been in contact with my mother, Queen Luna. She has agreed to help us and has contacted some of the staff. Some of them agree that my father needs help and they'll let us in without question. Once inside, we just have to walk around and be funny occasionally until we can get my father purified. But we have to be a bit quick about it so they don't leave."  
"Leave?" Techna asked.

"Yeah." The blonde paused. "Right, let me explain. To be married, the couple has to go to Solaris Pinnacle, a holy mountain blessed by the goddess. There, they must together experience the sunrise from the top. Only then will they be considered married and they will return for the second celebration. Used to be quite the rough and dangerous journey, but now the place has an elevator and stuff." She paused. "So, have everybody understood the plan? Or was someone too busy to pay attention?" The question came as a low, rumbling warning.

Riven and Sky, who were both still occasionally chuckling, did their best to look innocent.

"Then we are in agreement. Let us get ready. The party is the day after tomorrow," Flora said, as she got up.

...

The sun was shining over Solaris Castle, bathing everything in its warm glow. This was of course hardly news, as it rarely rained on Horus.

In the back of the outer wall was a solid gate, by which two guards stood in the shade and waited for the entertainers to show up. The gardens of the castle had been richly decorated with various festive balloons and such, and the first guests were already arriving.

The two guards saw a truck approach along the road and immediately corrected their posture, so as to look important and dignified. The multicoloured vehicle came to a rest not far from them and one of the guards left his post to speak with the chauffeur. "Binky's Clown Group?" he asked.

"Yep," replied the driver.

"I'll be checking in the back to see if everything is okay. Is that fine?"

"Yep."  
"Okay then. Have a good day."  
"Yep."  
The guard, whose name was Mathias, walked along the side of the truck. In truth, he mostly did this because he had to be sure that everything was going as planned. He and his fellow guard had worked hard to make sure that they were the ones keeping an eye on the back gate, as Queen Luna had wanted them to. He grasped the hatch, pulled up and gazed at the content within. In the back were crates full of various party supplies and the like. Sitting on rows of seats on either side were six clowns. Their clothes were ridiculous, they all wore strange hats, their hair had all the colours of the rainbow and they bore ludicrous accessories. Mathias squinted as he tried to recognise them beneath the thick layer of make-up. "Prin... Princess?"  
"Just let us in," Stella grumbled.

"Right. On it," the guard said and closed again.

"So what do we do if the actual clowns show up?" Bloom asked, as the truck started moving again.

"They won't" the Solarian blonde said. "Mom paid them off. They get full payment for this despite not showing up, plus a guaranteed job at whatever next event we have where clowns will be appropriate."  
"So no risk of having to hire them for a funeral?" Musa quipped.  
"No. Though some streamers would liven up the catacombs."

The truck shook as it came to a halt again.

"We seem to have arrived," Flora mused, as the chauffeur opened the hatch. The disguised girls streamed out, Stella only stopping to say: "Thanks. Your service to the crown will be remembered and repaid."  
"Yep," came his response.

The garden areas were filled with tables by which people sat and enjoyed the luxurious food. Others gathered around, mingling with each other and discussing everything between heaven and earth.

"Alright. Let's split up for now," Musa whispered. "After the king holds his speech, a servant should tell him about a message and hopefully he will go check it out alone. We just have to lay low until then."  
The other girls nodded and went in different directions.

Stella wandered between the tables and tried to stick to one of the walls. She really hoped she wouldn't be seen or asked to actually clown around. Having her artistic masterpieces dragged through the mud like this and having to actually look like a clown was bad enough. She had to admit it made for a good disguise, but her pride was bruised and beaten. She suddenly stopped up, noticing two kids who stood and looked curiously at her. An alarm bell went crazy inside the blonde's head.  
"Are you a clown?" one of them asked.

Stella took a deep breath and replied: "Yes. I am a clown. Doing my clown thing. Because that's what I do. Clowning."  
The other kid giggled and said: "Tell us something funny."  
"Uhm, well..." Stella struggled. Jokes were definitely not her field. "I... Well, ehm... What can shave twenty-five times a day and still have a beard?" She paused. "A barber." The kids blinked. "Get it. Because, like, he's a barber. So he shaves others. Right?"

The kids blinked again.

Then a pie was smashed into Stella's face and Techna leaned on her shoulder while telling the kids: "And that's why you don't go asking the amateur clown for jokes, kids."  
The kids giggled and the first one asked: "Why do you have a bad clown?"  
"To have somebody to throw pies after."  
The kids agreed that that seemed logical and headed off to find something else to entertain them.

"Well, seems like I just saved your bacon," Techna said to the pie-covered blonde.

"Yes. Yes you did," Stella said, while slowly wiping the sticky mass off her face. "I'll still murder you in your sleep though."  
Somewhere else, Bloom and Aisha had been roped into a juggling routine. Which was more of a smash each other with balls routine. The redhead accidentally dropped another ball, stepped on it and smashed into Aisha, causing both of them to fall to the ground. The crowd that had gathered roared with laughter.

"Hey. Hey the sun jugglers have arrived," a young kid declared, as he ran over to the flock of wedding guests. "They're getting ready for their first showing." The crowd mumbled and headed off, thanking the two fallen clowns for the show.

"I've gained an entirely new level of respect for my entertainers," Aisha mumbled.

"Fantastic. Now please get your elbow out of my spine," Bloom whimpered.

Elsewhere, Musa and Flora were having a duel upon an empty table, much to the amazement of the small crowd that had gathered. The musician fought with two paper fans, the noble with a large, rubber fish. With both of them being trained, they found it easy to make impressive looking but utterly impractical attacks, as well as dramatic falling around when they got hit. The crowd roared with laughter whenever one of them fell off the table with a pathetic yowl and mumbled in awe whenever one of them performed a particularly impressive attack. After ten minutes of this, they took a bow and went off to find a shadow to rest in.

"You okay?" Musa asked as they sat down in the grass.

"Yes. I think I landed on a rock at one point, but besides that I am fine," Flora reported, rubbing a bruised spot on her back. She looked up to see the others approaching. "Hello. How is it going for you?"  
"Well... We've got the clowning part down at least," Bloom offered.

"I'm going to hurt Chimera so bad for forcing me to go through this," Stella grumbled, picking more pie out of her hair. "When's my father going to hold his stupid speech?"

"Once the sun jugglers are done, if my memory of the schedule is correct," Flora said.

"Has anyone seen the boys?" Aisha asked.

"Yeah. Ran into them by the gate. Barely recognised me at first," Techna replied. "They'll keep an eye on things and try to stay away from us, so as to not draw attention."

"Seems like the speech is starting now," Flora said, as she eyed the flock of guests. "People are gathering by the podium."

The girls looked to the wooden platform that had been raised in the middle of the garden. Radius stood on it by a microphone. "Dear guests," he began. "Today is a grand day. Today me and my beloved begin an important journey. Not just the one to Solaris Pinnacle, but also to the rest of our lives." By his side stood Cassandra, who looked fidgety. And beside her stood Chimera, a bright smile lighting up her face as she waved to the camera and journalists, soaking in the attention as Radius continued to talk, shifting from subject to subject.  
"Hmm, not his best speech," Stella commented. "He's usually better." Her face darkened as she added: "Then again, he's usually not mind-controlled."  
"Patience. We will get that fixed as soon as possible," Musa said comfortingly.

The crowd became a bit restless as they too waited for the king's droning to end.

"...and Solaris bless us everyone," Radius finished. "Now then, my wife to be also has a few... What was that?" he asked, pulling his head away from the microphone to listen to a servant. "Oh, okay." He cleared his throat. "My wife to be also has a few words she'd like to share. I'll be right back." He left the podium and followed the servant.

"Okay girls. It's go time," Stella said and the six of them hurried off.

...

"You said that an important message was waiting for me," Radius said, as he followed the servant.

"Well, important messenger actually," the woman said. "Couldn't have it out there. To many people gawking and such."

"Right, right."

The servant opened a door and let the king enter with a: "Should be here any moment, sire. I'll go check if anything needs to be replaced at the party."  
The room was a waiting room, where people would often sit while waiting for their turn to have an audience with the regent. Usually, it wasn't the king who did the waiting, but he didn't mind. A moment away from the hustle and bustle of the party was just what he needed. His head had felt strangely heavy all day.

"Dad," came a voice. Radius turned around and noticed that six clowns had entered the room. "What?" he began. "No, I'm not... Wait..." He squinted. "Stella? Is that you?"  
"I guess I am pretty unrecognisable," she sadly chuckled. She focused and her purple-blue hair returned to its natural blonde colour. "Dad. We need to talk." She tried to wipe as much of the make-up as she could off. "Why didn't you invite me to the wedding?"  
"I didn't? No, I didn't," the king replied, a searching expression on his face. "No, wait, I thought about it. But then... Did I forget? No, I wouldn't forget. Then why..."  
"Dad, somebody has been messing with your brain," the blonde insisted. "That's why it doesn't make sense. They knew that I knew and made you not invite me. Bloom here has learnt how to fix it." She gestured to the redhead, who was in the process of removing her wig and oversized bowler hat. "I can't give you too many details. If we do, it might trigger a command of some kind. Happened when we tried to talk with Sky. You've heard about him, right?"  
"Yes. He was under..." The king paused. "Wait, am I under Valtor's control?"  
"Don't think too much about it right now," the blonde pleaded. "Bloom, do it before he accidentally thinks of something that orders him to flee."  
"Right. Just stand still your majesty. This may take a little while, but I promise you that I know what I'm doing," Bloom said, as she carefully approached.

"Okay then. Very well," the king said.

The Dominian princess had almost reached him when the doors to the room were smashed open.

Cassandra, Chimera and three guards stared in surprise at the scene in front of them.

"Clowns?" the black-haired sorcerer asked confused.

"YOU!" Stella yelled upon seeing them. "Bloom, quickly, do it."  
"Stop her!" Cassandra ordered, a look of panic on her face.

The guards marched into the room.

"No, stay back," Stella ordered.

The three guards stopped and looked unsure at one another.

"She's an impostor," Cassandra declared.  
"She's an agent of Valtor," Stella countered.

"I'm so confused," the king murmured.

"That makes four of us, sir," one of the soldiers said. "Look, nobody do anything, okay. We'll get a court magi over here and then we'll figure out who has possessed who in due time."

"Fine with me," Stella huffed. "Why don't you find the one who revealed the impostor at my princess ball? Oh, that's right, you can't. BECAUSE THAT NEVER HAPPENED!"

"Well, nice to see your fashion sense has improved," Chimera cattily commented. "The clown thing really fits you."

A strange growling emanated from the blonde, making it clear that only pure willpower prevented her from jumping her step-sibling.

"Radius, you trust me, right?" the countess began, her voice shaky. "This is an impostor and not your daughter."  
The king's expression became strangely emotionless and he tonelessly said: "Yes, dear," causing Cassandra to wince.

The guards stared at their king for a few seconds, before drawing their guns and pointing them at the countess and her daughter. "Alright, if you think we wouldn't notice _that_ , you're crazy."  
"Hah, didn't think that one through," Musa commented. "You should have asked Valtor for a user manual."  
"You dare turn your weapons on us?" Chimera angrily asked. "You... We're your betters and you will put those weapons down. Now!"  
"Don't make this worse," the countess pleaded.

"Yeah, not going to happen," one of the guards said. "Down on the ground, both of..." All three of them were knocked off their feet by powerful blast of wind and smashed into the wall behind them.

"Chi... Chimera?" Cassandra asked shocked.

The black-haired sorcerer scowled and the Sceptre of Solaria had manifested in her hand. "Get Radius out of here. I'll handle this."  
The noble blonde paused, before ordering: "Radius. Follow me." The king ran over to her with a blank expression and the two of them retreated.

"Really? You think this is going to work out for you?" Techna asked in disbelief.

"I have the Sceptre," Chimera declared triumphantly, holding the item aloft. "I'll show you all."  
"Trust me. That thing is not the be all end all of artefacts you think it is," Stella commented.

The sorceress growled and conjured several small clouds filled with lightning, which she launched at the girls. The faeries dodged the projectiles and charged.

A massive ring of cloudstuff and whirling hail manifested around the sorcerer, keeping them at bay.

"Techna, boost!" Musa yelled as she ran towards the magical defence.

The scarred girl smiled and got down on a knee. The musician landed foot first in her cupped hands and Techna launched her over the cloud barrier.

Musa took a moment to enjoy Chimera's shocked expression before landing. The black-haired noble pulled her staff back and clumsily swung it. The musician easily ducked under and kneed Chimera in the stomach. The girl stumbled coughing back as the barrier faded.

Growling, she pointed her staff. A cloud on the end began firing water like a hose. The stream hit Musa in the face and knocked her back.

Chimera turned and fired at Flora, who was also approaching. The brunette slid along the floor and ducked under the spray of water. She smashed her heel into the sorcerer's shin and Chimera howled as she jumped back.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!" she yelled and pulled her staff back, ready to take another swing. She yanked at the artefact and almost fell as it refused to move. She looked over her shoulder, just in time to get smacked by Stella.

"I'll take that, thank you," the blonde said, as she yanked the artefact from her step-sibling.

Chimera stumbled back in shock, were after her face darkened. She raised her hands, already conjuring a storm cloud to blast her sister.

Then someone suddenly grabbed her. With an: "Upsy daisy," Techna lifted the sorcerer up, turned her in the air and smashed her back first into the floor, knocking all the air out of her lungs. "Do yourself a favour and just stay there for a while, okay?"  
Chimera didn't reply. She just whimpered as she tried to breathe.

"I'll take that as a yes."  
"What do we do now?" Bloom asked.  
"We need to get my dad away from Cassandra," Stella growled. "Follow me." The six faeries charged out, following the escaping countess.

As she lay on the floor, trying to make her head stop spinning, Chimera tried to figure out what had just happened. She had the sceptre. She was about to be crown-princess of Solaria. Her mother was about to be queen. And in one instant that had all crumpled. It didn't make sense. She had deserved to shine. Like her father had always said, she was born to greatness. It was in her blood. She was born to win. And yet, here she was, gasping on a floor after being suplexed. Her mind struggled to figure out where it all had gone wrong.

"So, I notice everything is kinda coming apart over there," Valtor's voice sounded in her head. "Mind telling me how exactly that happened?"  
"You... You promised... To make me... Strong..." Chimera gasped, as she tried to force herself up.  
"I did. I got you the sceptre, the position, everything," Valtor commented. "And that wasn't enough? Well, I do suppose I could do a little more."  
"Do it. Make me... Make me stronger," the black-haired noble insisted. "I'll stop them. I... Mom and I. We deserve this greatness."  
"As all nobles claim," Valtor commented.

Chimera frowned as she tried to figure out what he was talking about, when a surge of energy went through her. The mark on her shoulder glowed brightly and her luxurious clothes began ripping apart.

...

Cassandra ran through the castle halls, Radius mindlessly following her. She desperately racked her brain. Initially, she had wanted to get the guards so they could assist her daughter. But then she had feared she would just repeat the situation with the guards her daughter had knocked about. She had nowhere to hide. And if the other guards talked...

There was no way out of it. She pretty much kept running just out of a need to do something. She tried to figure out an exit plan, a strategy, something. But all ways were blocked. Finally, the hellish prison she had forged for herself one bar at the time was complete. She was trapped. It was all over. Nothing short of divine intervention would save her. And she couldn't honestly claim to believe that she deserved that. So maybe she could go back and help her daughter. But she had nothing to offer. She had about as much magic in her body as the average patch of moss. There was nothing she could do.

Absolutely nothing.

This realization was at once both an immense relief and a source of great anxiety. She was out of options. Truly, the best thing to do would probably be to turn herself in. Or maybe find a fifth floor window to jump out of.

She came to a sudden halt in one of the great halls. Six youths blocked her path.

"What's the hurry?" Riven asked. "It's your wedding. Take a chill pill and relax."  
"I... I just..." Cassandra stuttered, as she stepped back.

"Hold it," Stella said as she charged in, her friends right behind her. "Alright, that's it. You're not going anywhere."  
The countess trembled for a moment, before falling to her knees with a: "I surrender."  
"You... You do?" the Solarian princess asked suprised. "Oh. Good."  
"Is... Is my daughter okay?"  
"Ehm... Well, she's probably a bit winded," Techna said. "Nothing major, just kinda introduced her to the floor." She paused. "It ended up being a very close encounter."

"So why did you do it?" Stella angrily asked, returning her attention to the countess. "What could Valtor possibly offer you that made this seem worth it?"  
"Safety," Cassandra responded.

Stella blinked. "What?"  
"At first, I didn't know it was Valtor," the countess began. "If I had heard about his escape, I would have suspected his identity. But I didn't and he managed to worm his way inside. He knew what I feared."  
"For your safety?" Bloom asked.

"No, my daughter's." The countess sighed. "My family hit hard times after the civil war. Even though we got off lightly, only being demoted to a minor noble house, there was still a lot of bad blood between us and the other branches. That's why I was married to someone as far away as Char. I tried to make things work for my daughter. I introduced her to the right social circles, let her meet the right people and so on. I wanted her to have a good life." She sighed again. "I admit, it didn't have an entirely positive effect on Chimera. I tried to rein her in somewhat, but there was only so much I could do. I was as bound by the laws of noble society as everyone else. I must admit, I was somewhat jealous that your father managed to break free of that. But he deserved it. But with you and Chimera, I feared that you would kick her out in the cold or worse once you became queen. You would certainly have the authority to do so. So, frightened fool that I was, I made an agreement and only afterwards did I learn of Valtor." She hung her head in shame. "By then it was too late. He had taken the dragonshade of light and it was clear that if I was found out, my daughter would be banished or worse. So I obeyed him. Kept up the masquerade. Tried to make everything run as it should. And now... Now it's all over."  
Stella looked thoroughly taken aback. "I... I'd never do that. I wouldn't."  
"But some people would," Musa commented. "Look, I'm not saying she's in the right, but you gotta admit. Noble society is kinda out there."  
"Enough to make anyone fucking paranoid," Techna added.  
"I... I guess so," Stella quietly commented. "My parents always tried to keep me shielded from the worst of it." She paused. "But why didn't you trust Dad, Cassandra? Look at him. You said you loved him, but who does that to someone they care for?"  
"Diaspro," Bloom added.

The blonde paused. "Point."  
"I... I wanted to. I really wished I could trust him," Cassandra answered. "But you've never borne the brunt of our society. You've never had to be on guard against all the knives hidden behind smiles and drawn under tables. My former husband... He had a brother. The moment he stepped out of line his entire family did all they could to ruin him."  
"That they did," Musa grumbled.

"I just... I just wanted to keep Chimera safe. Please, punish me however you like. I deserve it. But Chimera just went along."  
Stella mulled it over. She looked questioningly at the others.

"Maybe we should get the king free before we make a decision," Brandon offered.

"Good idea," Bloom agreed and stepped towards the king.

Suddenly the roof shook.

"What was noise?" Techna asked.

"IT's NoT Over YeT, Sis," came a strange and warped voice from above.

"By any chance... Did Valtor mark Chimera?" Sky asked, as the roof began ripping apart. He saw the countess' shocked expression and came to the obvious conclusion. "Oh. Shoot."  
The roof was ripped open and Chimera gently hovered through the newly made hole. Her limbs had elongated to many times their original length and her body was covered in a black and yellow exoskeleton. Massive butterfly wings bloomed from her back and kept her afloat, while an enormous abdomen had grown from her waist, a vicious stinger at the end.

"Chi-Chimera?" Cassandra asked, her face paling in shock.

"WE aRE tHe New RoyaLs of SolarIA," the transformed sorcerer garbled. "YoU Are-A-ARe NotHiNG." Her abdomen twitched and a storm of stingers sprayed from it. The girls spread to all sides to avoid the storm of piercing projectiles, but there was little cover in the open hall. Flora yowled as one of them hit her in the shoulder and launched her into a wall. Her arm went limp as her shoulder fractured.

"CHIMERA! CHIMERA!" her mother yelled. "PLEASE, STOP! IT'S OVER!"  
"Do Not woRRy MoTHer. I wIll MakE eveRYThinG RighT. Ev-EV-everything RigHT". She flew to the side, avoiding a spray of flames from Bloom. "MY scEPTRe. GivE ME-me-ME my ScepTRE."

"It's not yours!" Stella yelled, firing a beam of light. The laser scored a hit against Chimera, but her new exoskeleton absorbed the attack.  
"It'S Mi-MINE! It's all-ALL MiNE!" she yelled and dove. The blonde leapt out of the way to avoid a swipe from the transformed noble's elongated arms. She swung the other way, catching Helia who had been trying to get around her. The artist was hurled through the room and landed in a crumpled heap in the corner.

Riven and Sky struggled to force Cassandra and the king away from the unfolding carnage, as Timmy and Brandon leapt in to assist the others. "No. You don't understand," Cassandra pleaded. "She's not listening. I have to make her listen."  
"She's gone fucking mimi," Riven said, as he dragged the countess. "She's not going to listen to fucking reason right now."

"But..."  
"Listen, right now your daughter has gone completely nuts," Sky said. "Not much we can do about that right now except try to stop her. If you want to help, be there for her once we've done that. You can't help her if you lie crushed to death by masonry." As if called by the blond's words, one of the room's pillars tipped and smashed against the floor.

"CAN WE GET SOME FUCKING REINFORCEMENTS?!" Riven yelled at no one in particular.

Musa tried to get out of the way, but one of the mutant's spikes smashed through the back of her knee. With a yell, she fell to the floor as her leg crumpled under her.

The mutated Chimera got ready to leap at her fallen form, but was distracted by a vase smashing against her face.

"How about you pick on somebody who can fight back?!" Brandon called, grabbing another piece of inventory.

The insect noble growled and swung her hand toward him. A wave of conjured thundercloud washed towards the brunette. He tried to get out of the way, but the cloudstuff engulfed him and he screamed as crackling electricity danced across his skin. He fell to the floor, twitching.

"BRANDON!" Stella yelled in shock. She turned to Bloom, who was standing beside her. "Can't you do something? You're the one with the ritual."  
"Maybe. But not from this far away," Bloom said. "I need to touch her before I can pull it off. If you can distract her, maybe I can get close enough."  
"Right. Distraction," Stella said. "Alright, give me a moment."

Chimera flew closer to the still smoking squire and prepared to smash him, when she suddenly felt something ping against her side. With a buzzing roar, she turned towards the source.

Timmy entered a new clip, raised the gun and fired. He hadn't brought any of his own equipment, as security wouldn't allow it, but fortunately his girlfriend had smuggled two pistols in.

The mutant roared and fired a wave of hail the size of coconuts. Timmy quickly pulled back behind a pillar, ice and dust exploding around him as Chimera bombarded his hiding spot.

"HEY! SIS! YOU SAID MY FASHION SENSE WAS BAD!" Chimera twitched and turned towards the sound. "AT LEAST I'M NOT A BUG!" Stella stood in the middle of the hall, proudly wielding the sceptre.

The transformed noble growled and got ready to fire another spell at the blonde.

Bloom charged and jumped, landing in Techna's cupped hands, before being launched up towards the hovering mutant. She grabbed the twitching and pulsating abdomen, struggling to hold on.

"Let GO! LEt Go-GO!" Chimera yelled as she whirled around, trying to force the redhead off.

Bloom focused as much as she could on using the ritual, but the twitching organ was slick. Her fingers began losing strength as Chimera kept flying around.

With a yell, she was flung off, smashing into Techna and knocking them both to the ground.

Chimera roared and her abdomen pulsated as she prepared to nail them to the floor.

"HEY! LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!" Stella yelled and pointed her sceptre. Chimera turned again, growled and fired a barrage of needles at Stella.

The blonde took a deep breath and let the energy she had been collecting flow through the staff, allowing its spark to empower her magic. A beam of incinerating light exploded forth, obliterating the needles. Chimera protectively held up her limbs to guard herself, but the beam split in two before it hit her. For a second, the mutant was confused as to why.

Then she fell, her wings burnt to a crisp. She landed on the floor was a loud crash.

Growling she began forcing herself up again.

Timmy eyed the struggling mutant and then looked at the pillar he was hiding behind. It was completely decorative, just meant to make the hall look grander. It wasn't even made from solid materials or connected to the ceiling. He pressed his back against the wall and legs against the pillar. The cracks that had formed from Chimera bombarding it widened. With the sound of scouring stone, it tipped.

The mutated sorcerer barely noticed what happened, before the massive stone pillar smashed her to the floor again. She howled, raged and flailed her limbs, struggling to get out. Seeing her chance, Bloom rushed forward and placed her hands on the downed mutant. Her dragonflame soared through her body as she focused on the ritual.

"No! NO! StOP. StoP," Chimera wailed, as she felt Valtor's influence fade. "Stop. Stop." Her voice lost it's warped quality and her body began shrinking. Hardened armour softened to skin, the pitiful remains of her wings faded and the abdomen shrank until it ceased to be. Finally, the ritual complete, all that was left was the unconscious form of Chimera on the floor.

"We, ehm. we should probably get her some clothes," Timmy commented, averting his gaze.

"Bloom. Go help my dad," Stella said.

"On it."  
The blonde stood for a moment, eyeing the now resting form of Chimera. Her skin was marred with bruises and minor wounds, which were covered up when Timmy hastily ripped some drapes from a window to help. As she stood there, she noted Cassandra walking up beside her. The countess starred at her daughter with an unreadable expression, before collapsing on her knees. Almost a year's worth of stress and worry bubbled to the surface and she began sobbing loudly. It only intensified as Stella sat down beside her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

...

"Well," Radius sighed, as he eyed the two handcuffed women before him. "This has... Been most distressing for everybody involved." The girls, boys, several guards and some of the staff had gathered in the throne room, eager to hear what the now free king would have to say. "Cassandra. I cannot begin to express how disappointed I am by your lack of trust in me."  
"I know," came the countess' quiet and hollow voice. She was staring at the floor, never once raising her head.

"That being said, I do understand that our ways have eroded what trust you once had for anyone but you and your daughter," the king continued. "I knew you had problems trusting others even before we started our dalliances. I had hoped I could help you learn to trust others, to see that not everything was part of this grim game many of us still play." He sighed once again. "I couldn't. I confess that in that regard, I feel like I have failed to help you."

"What?" Cassandra asked confused, finally looking up. "No. My king, this is all on me. Do not blame yourself."  
"Someone has to. I admit to my limitations. I am but human and I do not have the ability to give the help you need," Radius continued. "Despite your service to Valtor, you have done everything to minimize the harm caused by your actions. And as a father, I understand the concern one feels for one's child, even if yours had become warped by your paranoia. For your crimes, I sentence you to a stay at the Sunny Soul clinic until such a time that professionals have deemed that your fears and paranoia have been put to rest." He paused, before softly adding: "And when you do get out, know that I will be waiting for you."  
Cassandra stared at him with open mouth, before with a shaky voice saying: "It is more than I deserve. Thank you."  
"As for you, it has become painfully clear that you are ill suited for the arts of sorcery," Radius said, turning his attention to Chimera. "Your ability to remain in control of your emotions are next to non-existent. Combined with your isolated and elitist upbringing, this has brought out the worst in you. I knew this and I had hoped to guide you onto a gentler path. Again, I admit that I've been unable to do so and probably will remain so. For your actions, I do not only sentence you to a stay at Lightrock until they deem you ready to live in normal society again, I also forbid you from ever again going to Beta Academy. You will be enrolled in a normal school, for either faeries or witches depending on what is deemed best, so you will be forced to mingle with people from all layers of society. It will only be healthy for you to gain some perspective."

"WHAT?!" Chimera asked. "No, you can't just do that. I deserve better than..."  
"Chimera," Cassandra began, in a tone that made it clear that she was to be obeyed.

"Yes, Mom?" the black-haired ex-sorcerer asked nervously.  
"Be quiet for once."  
"Yes, Mom."

"Guards, free them from their cuffs and make sure they're brought to their respective facilities. My secretary will call ahead of you," the king ordered. The two women, the guards and all the staff left the room now that the king had doled out justice, leaving him with his daughter and her friends.

"I must say, that was an incredibly restrained judgement," Musa commented.

"Maybe," Radius sighed. "But throwing them in the dungeon and breaking the key would do no good. I believe there's still hope for them. Cassandra's not evil, just a scared mother who's grown up in this blasted restrictive noble circus. Chimera wasn't a bad girl, just selfish, snobbish and raised on all the little lies we nobles like to tell ourselves and each other." He paused. "Valtor preyed on their flaws and faults to control them. Hopefully that will never happen again. There's still hope for the two of them, so I thought they deserved a chance for redemption."

"Even if Chimera seemed less than grateful," Stella commented. "I do hope you're right, Dad."  
"Me too."  
"Hey, if Diaspro can improve, so can those two," Sky said.

"And now Valtor has no influence over Solaria anymore," Flora pointed out. "It is just him and the Usurpers now."  
"For now. He can always start over," Bloom said. "As long as he's jumping around, he doesn't need a permanent base."  
"Indeed. With that in mind, I will do my utmost to seek a counter to his dragonflame," Radius said. "Hopefully, one of the other realms knows something."

"We can only hope," Stella said. "Now, if that was all, I think I'd like to get back to Alfea."  
"How do you think Faragonda will react to what we just did?" Techna asked.  
"Probably about as well as Saladin will," Timmy added.

"That reminds me, we should probably go hire a lawyer and have our wills made before we get back to Red Fountain," Riven said, resulting in laughter from the others in the room.


	20. A Day Off

Chapter 20: A Day Off

As Bloom exited the bathroom, she once again found herself amazed at the utility of her powers. Training with her peripheral knacks meant that she could save a ton of money on heating the water and she never had to dry her hair. Or any part of her body, but she was especially happy not to have to wrap a towel around her head after every trip to the shower. She took a moment to check up on Kiko, refilling his water and food supply, before exiting into the common room. "Anything going on?" she asked Techna, who along with Aisha were watching the news.

"Yeah. Your brother has been naughty again," the magenta-haired commented.  
"Oh no," the redhead groaned and turned her attention to the television.

"...was of course shocked, but so far it seems no harm befell her," the human newscaster reported. "After being discovered, he smashed his way out through the southern walls and escaped into the woods. We have been told that both the Roccalucian Order and Red Fountain are deploying even more troops to comb the area." He paused as he shuffled his papers. "Shortly thereafter, the current nymphs of the Roccalucian Order made a joint statement, demanding that the other realms do their part in containing Valtor. With the recent revelation that King Radius Guildenstern of Solaria was under his control, public sentiment is shifting towards initiating a full-blown military campaign to stop the threat posed by the renegade magi. Solaria is but the latest of many realms that have been attacked by Valtor to promise their full support. Already the Horusian realm is mobilizing troops and while we cannot say what it's about, there's been active communication between Solaria and several other realms non-stop for the last couple of days. More on the situation as it develops."

"Valtor will have a hard time finding a safe haven under these circumstances," Aisha commented. "At least, a conventional one."

"I'm just happy other people are finally doing something about this," Bloom added. "Where did he attack, by the way?"  
"Headquarters of the Roccalucian Order. Down by the lake," Techna replied. "They've still not revealed what he took specifically, just that it was some important papers and the shade from a dangerous artefact."

"As usual."

"I know Tides is also mobilizing to deal with Valtor, as well as Jezero and several of the other realms," Aisha offered. "Though the realms of the merfolk have certain disadvantages assisting unless Valtor chooses to lair underwater."

"It's something I guess," Bloom said as she sat down. "By the way, Musa mentioned something about you getting to see your fiancé. How's that going?"

"Well, my parents found it silly, but agreed," the brunette responded. "But apparently he's on vacation right now, so he doesn't have time to come see me."  
"Sounds like a class act," Techna snarked.

"I didn't get any specific dates, but it's not like the wedding is just around the corner. I'm sure I'll get to talk with him before then," the princess of Tides explained, sounding like she was really trying to convince herself.

"Something bothering you?" Bloom asked concerned.

"Mmm, yes. I guess Musa's words kinda got to me," Aisha admitted. "I don't want to believe that I'm expected to do these things without reason, but what she said about couples being different rings true. I find it hard, if not impossible to reconcile these ideas. Either my parents have told me to behave in a way, not to benefit my husband, but to make me behave a certain way only because of traditions. Or Musa does not know what she's talking about. And I have no reason to suspect that her commoner upbringing has in any way gotten in the way of her education."

"Well, maybe your mom n' pop haven't thought it through either," Techna suggested. "I mean, you hadn't. It must seem frickin' obvious in hindsight, yet you didn't think about it before Cacophony brought it up. Maybe nobody gave it straight to your parents. How would they know?"  
"A line of thinking that is also worrying," the brunette replied. "As royals we are supposed to be wise and intelligent so that we may rule the land prosperously. That such an obvious concept has eluded me and my parents puts that entire idea at risk."

"Look, Aisha, royals are still mortal," Bloom said. "The worst thing you can do is think you're flawless. Second worst thing is thinking you should be. Royals make mistakes. I mean, you heard Daphne's story, right? Just try to keep alert, be open to new ideas and be ready to admit fault. That will make you wiser than some know-nothing-know-it-all with a crown."

"Hmm, I do suppose there is something to that idea," Aisha replied contemplatively. "I will have to take your advice up for consideration."

"Well, this was fun, but I have to go," Techna said as she got up. "Promised Tune we'd take a look at a videogame we've been making. Plus, Stella wants some shoulders to wail on."  
"Wail on?" Bloom questioned.

"Well..." the scarred girl began. "Hey, remember when we dressed as clowns?"

...

"I think you're exaggerating a bit," Musa offered the pacing Stella. "Or a lot, to be honest. Let's be real for a moment, shall we? It was only six sets of clothes. Besides, I really don't think the patches are hurting the design." This was mostly because the black-haired musician was unconvinced anything could make Stella's fashion disasters look worse, but she decided to keep her snark to herself for once.

"What will people think," the blonde murmured. "Oh, look, there's something Stella made. Perfect for clowns, am I right?"

"What's the problem with clowns?" Techna asked, attention on a small handheld device she was holding. Weird and primitive beeping sounds emitted from its speakers as the scarred girl tested a game she had made. "Clowns are cool."

On her shoulder sat the pixie Tune, occasionally jotting down notes. "We really need to improve the frame-rate," she commented. "Right now it runs about as smoothly as a river of bricks. I've seen still photos with more movement."

"I notice you're all taking my concerns totally seriously," Stella huffed annoyed.

"Maybe you're exaggerating them?" Musa brought up. "Ever think of that?"

"My beautiful collection was martyred for the cause. And now I risk my entire fashion career joining them," the Solarian princess dramatically declared.

"And blue screen again. I think there's a bug," Tune noted.

"We'll get that fixed in a jiffy. Let me just restart." Techna glanced at Stella. "Wow, you're looking especially murderous today, Suntop. Seems like you're wearing your red underwear today."  
"You assisted in this career murder and, like, all you do about it is making menstruation jokes. That's... You... I..." The blonde grabbed a pillow and bellowed into it with the sound like a primordial behemoth.

"Stella, allow me to be painfully blunt" Musa got up from her chair. "You didn't have a fashion career. At most, you had a few fans here on the school and as far as I know, they still like your collection."

Stella's head poked up over the edge of the pillow, a somewhat embarrassed expression on it. "I know. But I'd really like one at some point," she muttered.

"I think you should just get over your beef with clowns," Techna added, as she read through data on the device. "Shit, I'm gonna need Databoy for this one."

"But if people like my things for being clownish, then they, like, like them for the wrong reasons." The blonde sighed and eyed her home-made collection. "Or maybe I'm just not as totally awesome as I thought I was."

"Stella, artists are their own worst critics," Musa stated. "Either convincing themselves that what they've made is a brilliant masterpiece or the worst piece of crap ever conceived. Trust me, your stuff is not my taste. It looks like an abstract painting was violently murdered by seagulls to me. But Techna likes it for what it is, so take some frickin' pride in that."

"I guess."

The black-haired musician eyed her wristwatch. "Now if that would be all, you'll have to excuse me. Riven will be picking me up in a few minutes."

"Oh, you finally managed to set up a date," Techna noted. "Congrats."

"It feels like quite the accomplishment at times," Stella commented. "Military dudes are so totally busy all the time. So where are the two of you, like, going?"

"Nowhere special. Just a little restaurant in Magicalis," Musa replied.

"Good luck with that, Cacophony," Techna said cheerfully. "Have fun and use protection."

"You always have to make it weird," the musician sighed.  
"It's a gift."

...

Piff sighed as she went through a dancing routine for the umpteenth time. She didn't feel particularly inspired, but on the other hand she didn't feel like doing nothing either. As she somersaulted across the table, she glanced at Livy. The blonde pixie was going through her cards, obviously practising her future sight. Or maybe she was also just bored.

"Livy, do you feel like we haven't been doing anything lately?" the dancer asked. "I mean, really doing something?"

The fortune reader seemed thoughtful for a moment. "What's the difference between doing something and really doing something?" she asked, a puzzled expression on her face.

"I mean, doing something outside the norm. We haven't done anything since we helped find Faragonda."  
"If I were you," Tune began as she flitted in. "I would be grateful for the peace and quiet we've had lately."

"Well. I'm not suggesting we go beat up Valtor or something," Piff replied. "I just want to do something different."  
"How different?" Amore asked as she flew over to them. "Because I've been thinking that since the weather has been improving, I'd like to arrange a pixie picnic."

"A picnic?" Piff repeated. "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. Who should we bring?"  
"Everyone."  
"Everyone?" Tune questioned.

"Everyone," the redhead pixie confirmed. "Well, everyone who's a pixie to be specific. That's why it's a pixie picnic."

"Well, I sure could use a break. In fact, so could many of the other pixies here on Alfea," Livy mentioned.

"Then I better get started on writing some invitations," Tune mentioned. "Unless of course you want to storm off right away?"  
"As fun as that would be, I can wait for the weekend," Amore confirmed. "Hey, Glim, do you wanna come along?"  
The purple-haired pixie nodded.  
"Great."

"So do you have a specific place in mind?" Tune asked, having landed on the table. "Because I would highly recommend that we stay somewhat close to Alfea. The woods are still not the safest place to be with Valtor lurking out there somewhere."

Amore snickered.

"What?"

"Sorry, sorry. It's just, I suddenly imagined him, well..." She twirled, suddenly dressed in a miniature version of Valtor's signature outfit. In a rather exaggerated voice, she proclaimed: "Rargh. I've come to eat you, pixies." She transformed back. "I mean, I don't think we risk him leaping forth from under a rock or out of a tree."

"Point, but let's not push our luck," Tune stated. "We've been through enough already."  
"Are we also inviting Concorda?" Livy asked.

"Why wouldn't we?"  
"Well, isn't she bonded to the school?" the pixie messenger inquired. "Can she even leave?"  
"Hmm, that is a good question," Tune admitted. "I don't know, really. I suppose we can ask her, provided that she does comes along. But I think that guardian pixies can leave their post, yes. They just seem to prefer not to."

"I wonder how it feels," Amore mused. "Being bonded, I mean."

"Well, if we're going on a picnic, then we'll need a picnic cheer," Piff exuberantly declared. "Yay, I'm finally inspired again." She ran off, dancing and twirling while coming up with improvised lyrics about the joys of picnics.

"Well, she's having fun," Tune noted. "Livy, does your deck have anything to say about this picnic?"

The blonde pixie drew a card. "The mirror warped."

The other pixies waited for an explanation.

"Oh, sorry," she said. "It means that someone else will be doing something that resembles what you're doing. So I guess somebody else will have a picnic. Maybe."

"Maybe?" Tune asked.

"All prophesies are maybe," Livy noted.

...

Days passed and the weekend arrived. Outdoors, vibrant colours were slowly spreading everywhere as the steadily warming spring weather gripped the land. Flowers were blooming and the many birds and animals of the area were slowly returning or awakening. All in all, it was quite the pleasant day.

Despite this, Stormy couldn't help but feel like recent events had somewhat knocked her feet away from under her. When Valtor has said that they were leaving, she had imagined that either their hideout had been discovered or maybe that a brief window of opportunity had presented itself. What the dandy magi actually wanted was far simpler and yet so much more baffling.

A picnic.

"And you're sure we're not at risk?" Darcy asked again. Once the initial surprise at Valtor's proposition had passed, she had been quick to remind the dandy magi that the woodland was still being regularly patrolled by people looking for them.

"Of course I am, Darcy," the sorcerer assured her. "We have everything we need to ensure that nobody stumbles across us."

"And why are we doing this?" Icy asked sceptically. "I mean, we could just have dinner back in the hideout."  
"Because, we deserve a day off. We've been working hard and sitting around down in those cramped ruins. I for one welcome the opportunity to get some fresh air." He paused, scouting their immediate surroundings. "Aha. There's a good spot." He marched into a glade where several picnic tables stood. They were somewhat dirty and moss-covered, an obvious indicator that the area had not been used in a while. Valtor placed the basket with their food on the grass and went to work cleaning one of the tables with his magic.

"So, I don't want to complain," Stormy quietly began. "Because I really do like this idea. But does this situation feel weird to you too?"  
"It does kinda clash with the whole master sorcerer image," Darcy commented. "But I suppose even people like Valtor need vacation time once in a while. I'm just worried somebody is going to stumble across us."

Icy snorted and said: "You worry too much. If anybody does find us, we can easily take care of them."

"I suppose so. Plus, I doubt anybody would actually believe any story about us picnicking," the dirty-blonde commented. "Who would actually think that the Bane of Domino and the Usurper Trio would be hanging out in the woods, eating sandwiches and ice cream?"  
"Exactly. Though I still don't get why we had to go all the way out here."

"I don't mind. The walk was nice," Stormy said. "Oh, looks like he's done."  
Indeed, one of the benches looked almost new and Valtor was already unpacking. "I know it's not the most glorious of meals," he said, as the witches took seat. "What with it just being stuff bought at the local grocery store. I promise I'll make something grander once Domino has been freed. But for now, it'll do."

"I suppose," Icy said, grabbing a sandwich. "Speaking of that, what's the next step?"  
Valtor chuckled and said: "I had a feeling that question would come up. Truth be told, with my latest acquisition, I think we're ready. Right now, I'm just trying to plan out the most efficient way to handle Domino's return. Obviously, there are those who will resist me taking the throne, but my claim to it is legitimate. My biggest concern is that a council of Dominian nobles could try to demand having me evaluated, with the express purpose of having my right to rule taken from me, so that Bloom can continue being the heir. A fate I barely avoided back in the day. Right now I can easily avoid such matters by constantly travelling around, but as the ruler of a realm I will obviously need a much more permanent home."  
"Well, I for one am sure my family will support you," Icy said. "Once they realise the real heir of Domino has shown up, they'll drop Bloom like a hot potato."  
"Perhaps. But for now, let us leave such matters behind us. Politics spoil my appetite," the dandy magi noted.

"Okay then. Now, one of those buckets of ice cream is mine, okay," the white-haired witch demanded.

"Despite your distaste for the subject of politics during dinner, I am curious to know what you think of our recent loss of agents in Solaria," Darcy said.

"A minor annoyance and an inevitable one at that. They had long ago ceased to be useful, but I hate cutting people loose just because of that," Valtor informed her. "And that Radius showed such restraint in his sentencing marks him as a very wise ruler. I can't help but admire that. Of course, I've lost Radius' influence on the meetings between the realms, but now that I am this close to freeing Domino, I don't feel particularly concerned. With access to the royal archives, I will quickly be able to prove that my claim to the throne is legit." He paused. "And with what I managed to acquire from Roccaluce, I do not have much to fear. If they try to send an army, well... It will not be pleasant, to say the least. But I do hope this can be solved diplomatically, rather than through such brutish methods." He took a bite out of his sandwich. "Let's change the subject. While secrecy has been a necessary part of our dealings, I do hope you don't mind the lack of contact with your families."

Icy ceased shovelling ice cream into her mouth for a moment. "Well, I have missed them," she admitted. "But if Domino is to be re-awakened soon, then that won't be a problem. I imagine they would even prepare a grand feast and a party for us once we have restored their rightful holdings to us."

"So might my family. Though it will probably be poisoned," Darcy remarked. "I wonder if Chimera ever gave them my message. Probably not. Too busy flirting with every camera she could get her hands on I imagine."

"Yes. Your family situation is... Interesting," Valtor noted. "Makes mine seem downright amicable. What about you, Stormy?"  
"I don't know," the wild-haired witch sighed. "I haven't talked with them since the trial. I just... I dunno. Maybe they'll be happy. I don't..." She was quiet for a moment. "I'm not sure if I even care anymore."  
Valtor went silent, a contemplative look on his face. "You know, as king of Domino I will of course be able to offer you sanctuary," he began. "All of you, in fact. I highly suggest you use this opportunity to find a less criminal career. It might do all of us some good."

Stormy paused, noting that Valtor was looking at her and that the message was more for her than anyone else. She slowly nodded, thoughtfully biting into a sandwich.

...

"It's so nice to be out again," Concorda mentioned, taking a bite out of the piece of pie she had been handed. "Goodness gracious, I hadn't even realised how long I'd been cooped up in that library until I looked at my calendar."

"Happy to help," Piff said, taking a piece of pie. Around them flittered the many pixies of Alfea, some humanoid, others more animal like.

"So, I've been curious about something," Livy began as she finished her pie. "What's it like to be a guardian pixie?"

"It's both empowering and a great responsibility," Concorda began. "When you become a guardian pixie, you tie yourself to a place. Your magic is empowered and allows you to affect your bonded enviroment with your magic. But as I said, it's also a responsibility. You become linked to it. The health and well-being of the place also becomes your health and vice versa."  
"Does that mean it hurts when something breaks in the school?" Piff inquired.

"No, but I certainly notice it. The feeling is strongest in the library. The fires that have ravaged it, oh, they feel terrible. This gnawing feeling of piece after piece of you just disappearing into ashen nothing. It is not for the faint of heart."

"Right. Well, I can now say that I am certain that I don't want to be a guardian pixie," Amore mentioned. "No offence meant, of course. It just doesn't sound like my cup of tea."

"None taken. So why did you all arrange this picnic anyway?" the blonde inquired, as she watched the other pixies eat and play.

"I've just been listless lately," Amore said. She twirled, taking on the appearance of a stereotypical explorer. "I've gotten so used to being involved in all kinds of events that this recent, well, calm has me weirded out."

"Me too," Piff mentioned. "I mean, I should be happy. We've been through some decidedly un-fun events. But still..."  
"I can sympathize, if that helps," Concorda offered. "Adventuring is exciting. I know even Faragonda occasionally miss her days of youthful adventuring, even if those days also brought loss and pain. I myself had my fair share of adventures before I settled at Alfea." She put the pie down. "Though for your own sake, find an adventure that's safe. Like this picnic, for example."  
"I agree. More picnics for everyone," Livy jubilantly said, chowing down on a piece of cake.

...

It was late at night when the pixies finally returned to Alfea, said their goodbyes and went to their respective homes on the school. As the five pixies flew into the common room, they were spotted by the faeries.

"Oh, hey," Bloom greeted them. "How did the picnic go?"  
"Too much cake," Glim groaned. "Going to sleep."

"Sounds like fun," Techna commented, busy working on the handheld thingamajig.

"Did you get some help from Timmy?" Tune asked, as she flew over to the scarred girl.

"Yeah. I think I got it work..." With a loud pop, half the device violently separated itself from the rest and jetted in an arc across the room, flying through an open door.

Seconds later Flora exited, device in one hand and rubbing a now sore spot on her head with the other. "I believe this is yours."  
"Ups. Yeah, sorry," Techna chuckled, taking the thing back. "I think it still needs some work before it's ready for production."  
"Really now?" Musa sarcastically asked. "And here I thought that having half the device fly off to smash people was a feature. I'm sure Red Fountain would be more than happy to fund your new weapons project."

"Be careful or, like, she just might start a weapons program," Stella direly remarked. Her head tilted as she strained to hear something. "Oh, that's my phone." She dashed off towards her room.

"So I heard you had problems getting to see your future husband," Musa remarked, eyeing Aisha.

"Indeed. But my parents assure me that this is but a side-effect of my rather sudden request," the brunette explained. "That there was no way he could know that I would desire a meeting."  
"Oh, of course. Why would you want to meet the man you're supposed to marry?" The black-haired musician rolled her eyes while frustratingly throwing her hands in the air.

"It does strike me as rather dangerous to just presume the couple will work out," Flora mentioned. "But that particular problem is not unique to the noble culture of Tides. In fact, it seems to be rather endemic in royal culture as a whole."

"Reducing something as important as love to a contractual obligation really nettles me," Amore remarked, arms defiantly crossed.

Stella returned to the room and everyone's attention turned to her. Especially when they noticed her serious expression.

"Girls," she began. "It was my dad. He's found something that can be used against Valtor."

"Oh, that's great. Wait, why is he telling us?" Musa asked, a suspicious tone in her voice. "Stella, why is your father informing _us_ of that? Please tell me that he just likes keeping you updated or something like that."

"Ehm... Well," the Solarian blonde began, fumbling with her fingers.

"I can already tell I'm not going to like this," Bloom mumbled.

"Come on, Suntop," Techna encouraged her. "Spit it out already. We can see on your face clear as day that it's going to be bad, so just get it over with."

"Well... See, it kinda involves inter-realm politics and royal obligations," she began, resulting in annoyed and frustrated sighs from the rest of the room's occupants.


	21. Bunker MO-5

Chapter 21: Bunker MO-5

Stella gave everyone a moment to finish sighing and groaning. "So..." she began. "Ready to hear the rest?"  
"Yeah, yeah, what's he got on Valtor?" Musa asked, leaning back in the sofa and placing her feet on the table.

"Ever heard about the water stars?"

"Doesn't ring a bell," Bloom said. "Then again, I'm not exactly a fountain of knowledge regarding the magical worlds."

"It's not something I've come across either, no," Aisha noted.

"I'm tots not surprised. I imagined that it was, like, Aisha or Flora could have heard about it, but, like, it doesn't surprise me they haven't," Stella said. "See, we all know about dragonflames by now. They're totally powerful and super game changers. One magi with a dragonflame can easily be stronger than ten flame-less magi with the same amount of experience."

"Like what Daphne told us," Flora noted. "How her powers helped her achieve the position as nymph relatively quickly."  
"Exactly. Because they're this mega powerful, they've been researched a lot. Including how to counter them." Stella began pacing. "One of these attempts at developing a counter was Project Water Star. The republic of Calisto was behind that. Called it that because, like, water douses fire. The project was successful, but required... Certain unethical experiments."

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but why were they unethical?" Bloom inquired.

"Because in order to test the countermeasures they had developed, they kinda had to test them on artefacts and people with dragonflames in them. Sometimes destroying the flame and what it was inhabiting in the process." The blonde looked very much uncomfortable. "Like I said, tots nasty stuff. Projects like that were banned at a big inter-realm conference some decades ago."

"Heard about that," Techna commented. "Some crazy guy with way too much spare time back home insisted it was a conspiracy between all the realms that had dragonflames to keep the ones without them down."  
"I'm not saying that wasn't a factor," Stella admitted. "But it was also because these projects were often dangerous. Production of artefacts and weaponry based on these experimental designs were also forbidden. But, there was a loophole, which my dad informed me that Calisto exploited." She stopped pacing. "See, they were never required to disassemble what they had already produced before the conference."

"I'm somewhat torn between being frustrated at them pulling a stunt like that and being thankful because we now have something to throw at Valtor," Musa admitted.

"Yeah. They stored it in a big bunker complex called Bunker MO-5. Which happens to be here on Magix. It took my dad a long while to get this information out of them. Like pulling teeth, he said. If this gets out it could lead to a major scandal for Calisto. Which, totally unfortunately, brings me to why he contacted me. And by me I mean us."  
"Here it comes," Bloom groaned.

"See, Father is sworn to secrecy about this. As such, he can only pass it on to certain people," the Solarian princess continued. "People like me, obviously. He gave me the codes for the bunker and asked if we could go pick up the water stars and bring them to somebody who can use them, like the Roccalucian Order or Red Fountain."  
"Question. Why can you ask us if it is supposed to be a secret?" Flora asked.

"Well, I'm not sworn to secrecy," Stella pointed out, while shrugging. "But if it gets out that I've told you, well... Not sure a judge will buy it. Seriously, don't tell anyone unless you actually plan on involving them. It's a highly sensitive subject."

"Is it going to be dangerous?" Musa asked.

"Well, it's all the way beyond the Barrier Peaks, as far as I've understood," Stella said. "No realms have claimed the area, although the troglodytes own some of the ground beneath it. They've even found the complex, though they never managed to enter. They called it the Red Tower, because of its colour. Which I guess is a bit obvious. Anyways, I suppose there could be some wild animals and the like, plus security inside the bunker of course. But we can probably get the boys to help us with the former and the code should take care of the latter."

"Well, considering the threat posed by Valtor, I would not mind assisting with a pick-up," Flora said.

"Sounds freaky. Count me in," Techna commented, raising her hand in the air.

Bloom, Aisha and Musa also confirmed their willingness to go get the anti-dragonflame weapons.

"So, how exactly do the water stars work?" Musa asked. "Do we throw one at Valtor and melt him with it?"  
"I'm not entirely into how it works," Stella admitted. "But according to the information I got, it works by dimming the dragonflame until it is almost non-existent. Thus the name. If we use it on Valtor, he'll, like, essentially be unable to use his flame and instead will have to rely on what magic he has without it."

"It will probably mean that he can't shift around as much," Aisha commented.

"Or survive having his noggin blown to red mist," Techna interjected. "You said something about the boys?"

"Yeah. I planned on asking Brandon for help after I talked with you girls," the Solarian princess confirmed. "And please, do remember to be quiet about this. I'd rather not have Valtor's defeat followed up by my entire kingdom being dragged to court."

The other faeries and the pixies swore they would be silent about the sensitive subject.

...

The next day at noon, a Red Fountain eagle landed on the grassy field behind Alfea. It didn't take long for the faeries to take notice of its arrival and hurry out the meet them.

"Brandon, good to see you," Stella greeted her boyfriend excitedly. "Thanks again for... Oh. Ehm, hello," she said, upon noticing that Cordatorta was following the boys out of the ship, pulling a large aircycle along with him. "Oh, so, ehm, why are you here?"

The dragonhandler cleared his throat and rather exaggeratedly declared: "Obviously since you requested a Red Fountain eagle for your 'vacation', it was natural that the staff would wish to learn about it. After hearing about your 'vacation', Saladin agreed that it would be helpful if you all 'got a moment to relax'. That is why the boys here got the weekend off. Saladin further wished me to inform you that he really approves of your 'vacation' and wishes he could send more people on 'vacation', but 'scheduling concerns' prevents him from doing so."

"What?" Aisha asked, tilting her head.

"He said that Saladin thinks Stella's father's plan is great and that only douchebag politicians prevent him from sending more than a squad out to help us," Riven commented.

"If I was allowed to confirm or deny that, I'd say he was right," Cordatorta commented stoically. "Now, with that out of the way, I shall return home. I expect a full 'vacation diary' once you get back." With those words, the dragonmaster jumped up on his aircycle and sped off.

"Okay. Good to know we've got support," Musa commented. "So did you boys get any info about the area?"  
"It's rather undocumented, I'm afraid," Brandon replied. "The area is known as Mistvale Forest and is almost always covered in, well, mist. That combined with the very swampy environment means that we'll have be careful. Local wildlife can be quite troublesome I hear, but we shouldn't be too exposed if we just land close to the bunker."  
"There are of course concerns about us running into more griffins, since we'll be going across the Barrier Peaks again," Timmy offered. "Not to mention the weather reports for the area are unreliable at best. So we'll have to play this one by ear."  
"The part I'm best at," Sky declared.

"Like that one time you impulsively abandoned you squad leader in a desert?" Bloom innocently asked.

The prince visibly deflated, commenting with a sigh: "I am never going to be allowed to forget that, am I?"  
"We've got basic supplies for the trip, but if you have anything you want to bring along we can wait," Brandon offered.

"What sort of clothes should one bring for something like a swamp?" Aisha asked.

"Not shorts. Trust me on that one," Stella commented. "I think we can probably get Flora to help us out with wardrobe choices."  
"I will gladly do so," the Limphean brunette confirmed.

As the group split up to small talk and such, Aisha followed Stella and Flora back towards the school. She stopped when she heard something cooing and turned around. A pigeon sat on top of the parked vessel, curiously eyeing her. As the princess of Tides tilted her head, the bird seemed to do the same.

"You coming?" Stella asked, shaking the brunette out of her fascination.

"Oh, what? Yeah, yes, I'm coming." She threw one last glance at the curious bird, before following the two faeries back to Alfea.

Not long thereafter, as the others talked, they suddenly heard the characteristic whoosh of an incoming aircycle. They turned, noticing the slender form of Helia hopping off the vehicle. "Hey guys. I'm not late am I?"  
"I... Don't think so," Brandon said confused. "What are you here for?"  
"My uncle told me about what you were doing," the artist said, unloading his bag from the vehicle. "Asked if I was interested. So I said yes."  
"Really? Well, that's great," the squire said, still a bit surprised. "Well, I am not one to turn down help. Just unload your gear and we'll be with you in a moment."  
"Great." With an excited grin, the black-haired painter hurried into the vessel.

"Well, I've never seen him be this excited about military missions before," Sky noted. "Maybe Saladin will get his wish after all."  
"I hope not. I've got a lot of money riding on him failing at getting Helia into the family business," Riven commented.

"You bet about things like that?" Musa asked, eyebrow raised.

"Red Fountain soldiers bet about all kinds of things," Timmy noted. "It's easy excitement without having to find a large hole in one's schedule. I'm not the gambling type myself, but I do occasionally throw a couple of nummi into some of the more tasteful betting pools."

"I suppose so." The musician turned her head. "Ah, there they are. Didn't take long."  
"No. Stella already had clothes I recommended her and an older set of mine fit Aisha," Flora reported, as the fairy trio returned.

"That's great. By the way, Helia is joining us," Bloom told her.

"Hmm, that is surprising. Then again, he has gotten himself involved a lot more recently. I wonder what caused him to change his disposition."

As the group entered the ship, Aisha took a look at its top again. The pigeon was gone. Shrugging, she followed the others. The hatch to the ship closed and seconds later, it rose into the air and jetted off.

As the group took position inside the great vessel's front, they found Helia already there.

"So, where are we going?" he asked as the others joined him.

"Mistvale Forest. Beyond the Barrier Peaks," Brandon informed him. "How much did Saladin tell you?"  
"That you guys were having a vacation and that he would be happy if I would consider joining you."  
The others exchanged confused glances.

"It's his voice," Riven stated. After noticing the others looking at him, he elaborated: "You know, Saladin's? Guy sounds dead serious all the time. It's not like Cordatorta where you can hear the finger quotes."  
"Finger quotes?" Helia asked, an unfortunate suspicion sneaking into his mind.

The others elaborated on what the 'vacation' was actually about. This led them to learning two things. First of all, Helia's disinterest in the military had not waned. Second of all, the gentle painter knew a surprising amount of colourful curse words.

...

Hours later, the eagle began crossing the Barrier peaks. Helia, while not blaming his companions for the misunderstanding, was still visibly miffed, a feeling he was channelling into a strongly worded e-mail he was composing to his grandfather.

"Riven. What are the scanners saying?" Brandon asked as he made his round in the vessel. "No snow this time, right?"

"Nope. Weather seems fine so far," the magenta-haired soldier replied. "No griffins either."  
Helia looked up from his laptop, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Let us just say our last trip didn't go that well," Bloom commented.

"Timmy. Everything online and functional I assume?" Brandon asked.  
"Yep. Propulsion engines one to twelve are all in the green. Nothing to worry about so far."  
"Good. Sky?"  
"A clear horizon and beautiful snow-covered mountains as far as the eye can see," the blond pilot responded. "So all in all, it's great."

"A shame we can't take a break here. Would make for a beautiful picture," Helia noted.

"By the by, how goes the poetry?" Flora asked. "You seemed interested in learning the craft not so long ago".

"I think I'll stick to painting for now," the artist embarrassedly admitted. "Poetry is not my... Strong suit. I'm still trying to get a hang of it, but I'm not quite ready to publish yet."  
"I'd say," Riven snarked. "I read one of them. How was it that tortured jumble of letters went?" He paused, before reciting: "I admire you for so many reasons. Just look at what's happened in four seasons."  
Helia blushed.

"Oh, didn't know you've become some big shot art critic," Musa teased, resting her chin on Riven's head.

"Didn't know your neck muscles had ceased functioning," he countered, before suddenly noticing something on the screen. "Huh. Well, that's odd."  
"I don't like odd," Brandon groaned. "What is it?"  
"According to the radar, the entire area that should have been Mistvale Forest is gone."  
"Gone. Gone how?"  
"As in 'the entire world will come to a halt right there' gone," Riven elaborated. "Is our map software up to date?"  
"Should be," Timmy said. "And I don't think the scanner's broken either. Might be some sort of cover to prevent people from locating the bunker."  
"You'd think somebody would have, like, mentioned that detail to my father?" Stella commented slightly annoyed.

"So what do we do? I presume landing with so little info is dangerous," Flora said.

"Yeah. Might land in the middle of a troll village or something," Riven pointed out. "Maybe if we can get the decoder attached, we can get an actual scan and figure out the lay of the land."  
"Right. Hey, Musa and Aisha. Could you two go get it from the cargo bay?" Brandon asked. "It's clearly marked, so you should easily be able to locate it."  
"Sure. Come along," Musa said, as the princess of Tides followed her.

The two faeries walked along the length of the ship and entered the cargo bay, where dozens of boxes were securely fastened.

"Right. Decoder, decoder, decoder," Musa mumbled, as she began looking through the area. "Where are you?"

Aisha too began inspecting the boxes. She moved some out of the way and said: "Oh. I think it's this one."  
"Does it say decoder?"  
"Yeah."

Musa turned away from what she was looking through and walked towards the brunette. She paused for moment, a strange expression on her face, before she continued towards Aisha.

Suddenly she leapt to the left, in between some crates. There was a bump and a triumphant: "GOTCHA!"

The brunette left the decoder behind and hurried over to her friend, hoping to assist her with whatever she was doing. Much to her confusion, she found Musa sitting with Ophir's leg locked in her grip, the rest of the magi lying on the floor with a slightly surprised, if bemused expression.  
"You know," he started. "I am kinda used to women throwing themselves at me, but I must admit you do it with such unprecedented gusto."

"Can it," Musa said as she got up. "What in the abyss are you doing here?"  
"Admiring the interior structure of military vehicle design."  
"Try again."  
"Looking for a contact lens."

"Again."  
"I'm actually lost and in dire need of a bathroom. Do you have one?"  
Musa paused. "You are making fun of me, aren't you?"  
"A bit, yeah," Ophir admitted. He turned to look at Aisha. "Ah, but it is so wonderful to be in your company again, milady. So sad we had to separate rather suddenly last time, but I am a rather busy man."  
"Oh. Ehm, that's okay," Aisha mumbled, turning away to hide her blushing.

"For the love of..." Musa groaned, rubbing her temples. "Alright, get up. Aisha, get the decoder. You, Ophir, turn around."  
"Okay. But I must insist that my front is my best side," the intruding magi noted.

"Now hands behind your back where I can see them. And move towards that door," the musician commanded, as Aisha returned to them with the boxed decoder. "Once we're back with the others, we can get you handcuffed."  
"Already? But you haven't even invited me on our first date yet," Ophir protested as he was marched out.

"Spirits above and below," Musa cursed, rolling her eyes. "I bet Techna is gonna love this."

...

"Okay, so how did you sneak aboard?" Brandon demanded.

"I didn't sneak," Ophir protested. "I waltzed right in. You were all just too busy to notice me." He paused. "Which is rather surprising I admit. I didn't consider myself the easy to ignore type."

"Right," the squire mumbled unimpressed. "Why are you here?"  
"Well, I couldn't help but notice the lovely company you all keep," the magi explained. "And I thought to myself, 'Ophir, you sly fox. You gotta get in on that'."

"I suggest we hurl him out of the back hatch," Riven added. "Bonus points if he hits a mountaintop."

"Is that really why you came on-board?" Brandon asked, slightly annoyed.

"Of course not." Ophir grinned. "Or maybe it is. I got other reasons if you want more."

The brunette groaned as he massaged his temples.

"I like him," Techna chirped.  
"I figured you would," Musa said. "So what now? Turn around and haul him to the police?"  
"Well, we got cells on-board," Sky pointed out. "No reason to fly all the way back. We've got pairs of enchanted handcuffs that suppress magic in the security case on the wall. That'll make sure he doesn't pull any funny business."

"You know, this is probably the most well-armed and well-protected vacation group I've ever seen," Ophir continued, as Musa ripped a pair from said case. "You must really like your hide-away to protect it with so much effort."  
"I think he's playing dumb," Timmy suggested.

"I think he just _is_ dumb," Riven added.

"Ack, good sir, you wound me so," the intruding magi protested, as Musa locked his wrists together. "Speaking of wounding, while I don't mind a degree of manhandling, those are awfully tight. You risk cutting of the flow of blood."  
"Good. Maybe if I can stop it in your wrists, then sooner or later you'll stop yapping," the rather frustrated musician commented.  
"Such wit. The beautiful sharp angles of your body match your quick tongue and razor words."  
"For the record, I'm still willing to hurl him out of the ship," Riven commented.

"That makes two of us," Musa mumbled.

"So you're really not going to tell us?" Bloom said, as she eyed the dark-skinned magi. "You do realise that with how things have been lately, you really just end up seeming like another one of Valtor's minions, right?"

"I do. I mean, I'm not, but you have no reason to believe so," Ophir admitted. "And I'm not going to tell you why I'm here until I want to."  
"And when is that?"  
"At some point."  
"Just... Just get him to the brig," Brandon groaned. "I'm going to go look at status screens until I don't feel like punching something anymore."

"Alright then. March," Musa demanded and pushed the magi towards the door.

"How could I ever say no to such a beauty as you?"  
"Quit it."  
"Hey, Musa, can I come with you?" Aisha asked.

"Huh? Why?"

"Well. I'm... Well, I'm curious," the princess of Tides admitted.

"About the cells?"  
"About him."  
"Oh come on, don't tell me you're falling for that," Musa groaned. "Seriously, he's just oozing sticky charm because he wants to spin your head around."  
"Just because I'm a charmer doesn't mean I'm lying," Ophir insisted. "By the way Aisha, I love the way your hair looks, framed by the noon sun."

Musa began pushing him along, the brunette princess following behind them.

"You know," Stella began, busy filing her nails. "It's almost a shame that Musa has already decided to go after Riven. Ophir's got so much more charm and people skills."  
"Captain..."  
"No Riven, we do not throw people out of the ship mid-flight."

Towards the back end of the ship were several cells designed to keep prisoners of war or unruly crew mates. Magical forcefields generated by the ship kept people inside. They were rather sparsely decorated, with only a bed and a small shelf. Ophir looked at them, before commenting: "Can't I at least get one with a carpet?"  
Musa hammered the console button and, patience at an end, pushed Ophir inside with a: "GET IN!"

"Musa, there's no reason to be so rough," Aisha pleaded, as she followed the black-haired girl into the cell.

"I'm just... You..." The musician took a deep breath. "You remind me of every slimy politician and royal asshole who's ever wormed his way out of trouble by playing the crowd. And I know you're trying to play me, so quit it."

"Ah, I see. I genuinely apologize, I had no idea," Ophir said, sounding like he really meant it. "For what it's worth, I really do find both you and your companion beautiful and smart. That part was no deception on my end."  
"Right." Musa turned around and tried to walk out, only to smash into the forcefield. "Huh? What?"  
"Oh, they turn on automatically," Aisha noted. "That's unfortunate."  
"HEY!" The black-haired musician knocked on the forcefield with her clenched fist a couple of times. "HELLO! WE'RE TRAPPED!"

"Well, in that case I bid you welcome to my humble abode," Ophir said, causing the musician to grit her teeth. "I'd shake your hands, but I'm currently handcuffed."

"Should we uncuff him now that he's in his cell?" Aisha inquired.  
"Are you serious? Of course you are, why did I even ask." Musa sighed. "No, Aisha, as long as we are in here, he's a danger to us. We should keep him like this until we get out. Whenever that will be."  
"So, now's a good time to get to know each other," Ophir began. "I'll start. I have a soft spot for jazz music and I also find some pop music to be good."

"I'm still a bit inexperience with different music genres," the Princess of Tides admitted. "Was used to only certain types being 'correct' for a princess. So I've been trying to expand."  
"Hmm, I pick you as somebody who would like Mermaid Passion," Ophir suggested. "They're actually fairly good. What do you say? I would love to take you to one of their concerts."  
"Oh, ehm..." The princess eyed her black-haired friend, who was now beating her head against the forcefield with a frustrated expression. "I'm... Not sure. I don't think I should. I am already promised to someone."  
"Ah. I see." Ophir sighed. "What a shame. It could have been fun. But now that you've brought it up, who's the lucky guy who gets to marry the princess of Tides?"

"His name is Nabu... Something."

"A peculiar last name or an admission of ignorance?"  
"The latter." Aisha sighed. "I did intend to meet him before the marriage, but he's on vacation. Though I do not imagine said vacation will last until our wedding, so I think I'll get to meet him soon."  
"You'd be surprised," Musa commented.

"I agree. Don't expect common courtesy from those types," Ophir advised. "Just because a person is noble doesn't mean they are, well, noble." He smirked. "As I said, while you still have a lot to learn, I genuinely meant that the multiverse would be a lot better off if more royals took after you. At least you are willing to admit fault and learn new things. Truly admirable qualities."

"Oh... Ehm... Tha-thanks," Aisha mumbled, completely flustered.

"Would you stop playing her?" the black-haired musician asked annoyed. "What exactly is it that you want?"  
"Well, I do have some long-term goals that I am not at liberty to discuss. But in the short-term, I'd like to be able to feel my hands again." He rattled the cuffs. "They've fallen asleep."  
"Musa, can't we just loosen them a little bit?" the princess of Tides begged.  
"No. I am not trusting him. Especially not with how he's constantly trying to charm your panties off," Musa insisted. "There's far too much funny stuff going on with that guy. How did he sneak in? Why is he really here? And until I'm sure about those things, I'm not trusting him."  
"It's okay. I know you both mean well, so I don't hold it against you," Ophir gently said. "It is admirable that your concern for your friends manifest so strongly. It says a lot about you. A lot of good things."  
"Are you ever going to stop trying to woo me?" Musa inquired dryly.

"It is but part of my humble and honest nature that I feel I need to make sure that the virtuous among us don't overlook their own strengths."  
"Aha." The musician did not sound convinced.

Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the ship, sending all three of them tumbling to the floor.

"See," Ophir groaned. "This is why a carpet would have been nice. Also, ow my chin."  
"Everyone, this is Brandon," came the squire's voice over the ship-wide intercom. "We've been hit by anti-air weaponry. We're making an emergency landing."

"Oh crap," Musa groaned. "Quick, Aisha. Brace yourself.  
"Ehm, could I get some help with the bracing," Ophir asked from his position on the floor. The entire ship tilted and they could feel how they were quickly approaching the ground.

"Fine. Here," Musa said, as she hoisted him up and pushed him into a corner, positioning herself so as to prevent him from falling. "But any smartass comments from you and the eagle crashing will be the least of your worries."  
"Understood."

With a rumble, the ship roughly landed on the earth, cutting a deep furrow in the ground. The lights inside flickered and went out.

...

At Red Fountain, the doors to Saladin's office opened and Cordatorta walked in. "Sir. I have news from the water star retrieval mission."

"Oh. That was fast," the warlock noted. "Have they arrived?"

"Well, no. According to our GPS data, this was sent from above the Barrier Peaks." Cordatorta coughed. "The text within... Well, I gotta ask, sir. Did you or did you not inform Helia of what he was being sent into?"

"As well as I could," Saladin replied. "You know we cannot discuss these things openly. But I am sure I did hint at the true purpose behind the journey."  
"Right." Cordatorta cleared his throat again. "The thing is, according to this letter, then no, Helia does not feel like he was properly informed. I gather that he took you at your word."  
"Hmm. I would have figured that somebody who works with poetry would be able to gather subtle hints." The old magi rubbed his chin. "But at least this does explain the uncharacteristic enthusiasm. I cannot help but be disappointed that that's the case, but oh well."  
"He also seems to think you deliberately deceived him." The dragonmaster sighed. "Sir, permission to speak frankly."  
"Granted."  
"Thank you, sir. I have brought this up before, but I seriously think you should reconsider trying to convince Helia to join the military. It is fostering a lot of bitterness. He genuinely believes that you were willing to deceive him in order to get him on a military mission."  
"Hmm. I see." The warlock was silent for a moment. "Even so this is merely a pick-up mission. I find little for him to be bothered with."

"And yet he still has strong feelings about it."  
"How strong?"

"I'd rather paraphrase things." The muscular man eyed the printed e-mail. "It is rather harshly worded and I imagine it was written in a moment of anger."  
"Cordatorta, give it to me."  
"Yes, sir."  
The dragonmaster sighed as he watched Saladin's eyes scan the paper. After a long while, the warlock put the printed paper down, his face falling into contemplative and melancholic folds.

"Sir, I believe it might be best to look at the sentiment behind the letter and not the words themselves," Cordatorta suggested.

Saladin shook his head. "No. No, it's okay. I understand." He was quiet. "I've always seen the military as necessary. Guardians of nations. Defenders of the people. Protectors against all that is evil and foul. And I've always felt pride about my role in it. My child's role in it. And Helia, he has talent." He paused. "But perhaps he is right. Perhaps I am a... Let's see, what did he call me? A stubborn, old, violence-glorifying, single-minded, tunnel-visioned, bearded goat with more medals than brain cells."

"For the record, I have always believed that your intentions were good, sir." Cordatorta paused, before adding: "But yes, this focus on getting Helia into the military has been a less than fortunate development. The kid is happy doing what he is doing and art is important too. Culture as a whole is, if you want my opinion."  
"I suppose so. I'll never understand why though, but I suppose so." The warlock sighed. "You are dismissed."  
"Yes, sir." Cordatorta turned around and left the old warlock to his thoughts.

...

"Well... This is a mess," Sky commented, as he eyed the smoking wing of the eagle. "Riven, what happened?"

"I didn't get a good look. Radar started bleeping like crazy, then two seconds later we're hit," the magenta-haired soldier replied.

The ship had landed at the edge of Mistvale Forest, mud and grime splashed against the vessels sides by the impact.

"Timmy, is there reason to suspect our radar was not functioning?" Brandon inquired.

"No. In fact, I think the only reason we even got those two seconds was because of the decoder," the bespectacled soldier replied. "I can of course not be sure until I've had some time to go through the data log, but I think the anti-air defence started targeting us the moment we arrived over the forest."

"They never said, like, anything about this," Stella angrily added. "When I get hold of my dad, Calisto better start hiring a good lawyer."

"But why would they neglect to inform us?" Bloom asked.

"Hard to say. A missing piece of mail or a misunderstanding could easily lead to a situation like this." The squire shrugged. "We won't know until we ask. But that will have to wait. For now, I suggest we try to activate the emergency beacon. Once the decoder has been fixed, hopefully we can send a signal past the scrambling."  
"And what about the water stars?" Musa asked.

"Given how important they are and the suspicions of foul play that naturally come with such an incident, I'll have to say we should continue on foot. Timmy and Techna, you two stay behind and try to get this thing working again."  
"Yes, sir," Timmy responded.

"Okie dokie," Techna replied.

"So what do we do about Chuckles here," Musa asked, indicating the still handcuffed Ophir with her thumb.

"Well, the cells do require energy to work and the engine is out." The squire rubbed his chin. "Plus, Techna and Timmy will be busy fixing this place. I suppose the safest thing to do will be to bring him along so we can keep an eye on him."  
"How fortuitous. I was just thinking how amazing a woodland trip like this would be," Ophir happily noted. "Especially with such lovely company. This will give us a chance to really get to know each other."

"Joy," Musa groaned.

"So where exactly is the bunker?" Aisha asked.

"Well, we still have the coordinates of where we are and the rough location of where to go." Brandon unfolded a rough map of the area. "Seems like we have to go north from here, but the terrain can be a bit dangerous. I suggest sticking together and keeping an... An... What is making that noise?"  
Everyone went silent and peered into the surrounding fog. With the conversation gone, they could hear it. A strange slithering sound, as if something was pushing its way through the muck. Except, it seemed to come from every direction.

"It may seem redundant to point out, but I sense multiple beings coming at us from several directions," Flora said.

"Spectacular," Helia paused. "What should I do?"  
"Probably seek cover."  
"Seeking cover."

Through the fog, bulbous shapes began to show. They moved on a mass of tentacles that pulled and pushed them along the swampy ground. A massive mouth dominated the centre of their body and from the top sprouted several stalks, each of which ended in a massive eye.

"Great. Beholders," Brandon said, as he drew his massive sword. "They must have been attracted by our landing."  
"These things. I've heard the wizard clan down by the coast has some issues with these," Sky commented, drawing his blade.

"Any advice?" Bloom asked, fire already enveloping her hands.  
"Yeah. Don't hold back. These things are ferocious and hungry almost twenty-four seven," Timmy said, raising his rifle. His arms jerked as he fired, the shot tearing through one of the approaching beasts. With a pained roar, it tipped over in the mud.

As the others got closer, one of them started swinging its eyes at Riven, who danced back and cut one of the offending limbs of with a swing of his sabre. "How dumb are these things? They're attacking us with their eyes."  
"Actually, those aren't eyes. Just eye-like knots of muscle tissues," Timmy informed him, as he fired again. "They serve the dual purpose of scaring larger predators and..."

"Save it for later, Timmy."

Bloom unleashed another wave of flames at one of the creatures. It howled and dove into the mud, desperate to soothe its pain. She charged another flame for when it got up, but before she could attack, the stalk of another suddenly wrapped around her midsection and hoisted her in the air, the tentacle quickly beginning to squeeze her. She coughed as she felt her lungs being forcefully compressed and her ribs ached at the sudden pressure.

Suddenly, it loosened completely and Bloom was unceremoniously dropped into the muck. She turned around, just in time to see Sky swing his blade again, cutting the monster in half.

"You okay?" he inquired.

The redhead coughed again, replying: "Yes, I'll live."

Techna rapidly fired her gun, the bullets digging into several of the creatures. "Persistent buggers, aren't they?"  
"Well, yes. Beholders take down larger prey by swarming them, then using the extra energy gained from consuming their prey and the fallen to breed a new generation." Timmy fired again, downing another beholder. "So they're not afraid to take some losses."

"Huh. Neat."

Elsewhere, Brandon swung his massive blade in an arc, holding back several of the monsters at once. Suddenly, three of them surged at him, deciding to finish him off for good. With all his might, the squire swung his blade again, slicing through two of them. However, the mighty swing left him momentarily off-balance, enough so that the third one could smash into him. He stumbled back and the monster rushed forward again, ready to bite him in half. A shockwave hit it before it could do so, hurling it back.

"Funny how it didn't see that coming," Musa quipped, readying her fans.

Directed by Aisha's swift movements, a crashing mallet of condensed water smashed one of the beholders to a pulp. With another swift movement, she sent it crashing to the side, smacking another multi-eyed monster through the air.

Suddenly, she heard Ophir yell: "AISHA! BEHIND YOU!"

The brunette turned around, only to take one of the monster's false eyes to the face. She fell back and stumbled into the muck. The creature roared and got ready to pulp her with its tentacles.

"Now that's no way to treat a lady, is it?" Ophir asked, now suddenly behind it.

He placed a hand on it and the monster suddenly froze, its skin turning grey as the beast was transformed into stone. Satisfied with his work, the smooth-talking magi dusted off his hands with a look of satisfaction, before asking: "Are you okay?"  
"Uhm... Yes," the brunette began, as she was helped back on her feet. She could feel her eye slightly swelling from the bruise. Around them, the remaining beholders retreated back into the misty swamp. "Weren't you in handcuffs?"  
"Yes."  
"But now you're not handcuffed."  
"Indeed."  
"Why?"  
"I took them off."  
"Wait, what?" Musa asked, as the others walked over to the two. "How?"  
Ophir shrugged. "What can I say? I've got nimble fingers." He paused. "I can put them back on if it'll make you feel better. Or if you just think I look better in handcuffs." He winked at her.

"Brandon..."  
"No, Riven, we are not feeding him to the beholders. Now stop letting his flirting with your girlfriend get in the way of your professionalism before I feed _you_ to a beholder."

"No, just... Just keep them off," Musa sighed. "There's really no point to it. So what do we do now? I still don't trust him."  
"But he did just save me," Aisha argued.

"Which might either be a genuine attempt at helping, or a clever ploy to gain our trust," Timmy pointed out. "We still don't know anything about him."  
"Is it safe to bring him along then?" Sky asked, eyeing the petrified beholder. "I mean, when we thought he couldn't use magic, at least it seemed like we had some degree of control."  
"On the other hand, he's, like, clearly skilled," Stella pointed out. "If he truly intend to backstab us, leaving him with Techna and Timmy might be what he wants."  
"And if we bring him along, he might stab us in the back the moment we're occupied with something," Riven argued. "Like if we run into more beholders."

"I feel so uninvolved in this conversation," Ophir sighed. "Does nobody care about my opinion?"  
"No," Musa replied annoyed.

The charmer seemed to mull it over for a second. "Okay then."

"I say we should bring him along," Aisha argued. "I think he's clearly demonstrated that he wishes to help."  
"Wishes to help for now," Brandon pointed out. He sighed. "Alright then. Ophir, you're coming along. We will be keeping an eye on you, so no funny business. I'm grateful for your assistance, but due to current circumstances, I cannot afford to trust you. Especially given how shifty you have been."  
"Well, I do suppose that is fair enough," Ophir replied. "I cannot blame you for finding me suspicious, what with me sneaking aboard and obviously trying to get into your good graces with my honeyed words."  
Musa starred at him. "Admitting it doesn't make it better."  
"It doesn't? Oh." The magi sounded quite disappointed at that.

"Okay then. Everybody, move out. Flora, this is your area of expertise. Can you lead us through the swamp?" Brandon inquired.  
"With ease," the brunette said confidently, studying the map. "This does not tell me a lot about features like the depth of the lakes and such, but that is basic training. Follow me."

...

An hour later, Timmy and Techna were still not done with trying to get the eagle working again. The scarred girl was elbow deep in electronics, trying to replace burned out wires and broken connections, while the bespectacled soldier was hard at work struggling with the decoder.

"Any luck getting a cry for help out?" Techna inquired through the headset she was wearing.

She could hear Timmy sigh. "Negative. Doesn't help the rough landing damaged it. I've only got half the code here. What about the signal array?"  
"Most of the thing is completely fucking smoked." Techna pulled out a mangled mess of wires. "I think it took a direct hit. From the shit-ton of shrapnel I'm digging out of its guts, I'd say we were hit by a missile." She pulled more stuff out. "Innards are completely shattered. Not to mention the hull breach. I hope you brought some spare parts along, because this is one big fucking mess."  
"We did. Field repairs are to be expected." Timmy paused. "I don't suppose you could just magic it back to working?"  
"Nope. Remember how much that stunt last year took out of me." She opened a box of spare parts and began riffling through it. "And this is even worse. Though at least the maintenance is easier. Glad to see they've improved on that."  
"Well, the colourful seven page self-reading email you sent to our entire tech department did prove most enlightening."

"Still, you should probably have these innards cleaned once in a while." Techna coughed a bit, before fiddling with some screws. "It's still complete frickin' dusty in here."

She heard some beeping noises through the headset. "I got it working," Timmy said relieved. "The registered code is almost completely gone, but as soon as we get the transponder, antenna and such working again, we can start re-translating the code. How's that going by the way?"  
"Gonna take me some more time." Techna groaned, as she sucked on a bleeding wound on her thumb. "I tried to sense through it and the system is completely shattered in several places. Downside of technology I guess. Shit's fragile."  
"Well, fragile when cloaked armour-piercing anti-air shrapnel missiles are used," Timmy pointed out. "They must be quite protective if they've got such heavy weaponry ready to fire out here." He paused. "So what do you think of Ophir?"  
"Dude's funny. Also, capable of stoning people." Techna paused. "But I'm not sure what to think. He's clearly up to something, but just because people are behaving weird and planning something is no reason to suspect them of foul play."  
"Speaking from personal experience?"  
"Don't make me come over there and ruffle your hair, Databoy." Techna groaned as she pulled out of the maintenance hatch. "Alright, I'm parched. What do you say we take a break and go grab a beer or two?"  
"Techna, this is a military vessel. There is no alcohol."  
"I figured as much." The scarred girl smirked. "Good thing I smuggled in my own supply."

Timmy sighed. "Do you even care about protocol?"  
"Nope. No fucks to give."

...

"I must admit, the interplay between fog and nature does provide for an inspiring view," remarked Helia. The group was slowly and carefully making their way through the tall and shrouded swampy woodland. "I would love to immortalize the view."

"I can most likely bring you out here at another date if you want to," Flora remarked, as she tested the spongy earth with a stick. "Though I am curious. Why did you come along? You could have stayed behind in the eagle."  
"Perhaps, but knowing how dangerous it is, I figured my skills could come in handy," the artist offered. "I still know a great deal of first aid, for example."  
"I see. That is very courageous of you."  
Farther behind them, Aisha and Ophir were talking. "So, I notice the fellow with the sabre keeps giving me the good ol' stinkeye," the dark-skinned magi noted.

"Well, he's probably miffed that you keep trying to charm Musa," Aisha remarked.

"So they are in a relationship?"  
"Well, they are dating. And the others are sure that they will probably become an official couple soon."

"What do you think?" Ophir asked.

"Me? I don't know much about that." The princess of Tides shook her head. "Ever since I got to Alfea, my worldview has been turned upside down. These days, I am not sure what to think of many things."  
"Why this confusion?" the magi continued. "You seem to be such a confident and gracious lady."  
"Ehm... That's... Thanks," Aisha managed, looking away from him. "Ehm... Well, it's just that I'd had to reconsider much of what I've learned. Especially thanks to Musa." The princess paused. "She reminds me ever so much of an old friend of mine."

"It's only good to have such amazing friends," Ophir noted. "No person is an island and getting some support is only good for you. I think it will only help make your ascent to the throne an even greater boon for your kingdom."  
"STOP TRYING TO GET INTO HER PANTS, ALREADY!" Musa called from somewhere behind them. "AND FOCUS ON THE FRICKIN' MISSION!"

"It seems the peanut gallery also has an opinion on the subject," Ophir mused.

"She means well," Aisha said.

"Of that I am certain."  
"I believe I have found the bunker," Flora declared and pointed with her machete.

In the distance, the curved and crimson entrance to the complex could be seen. The group approached the structure. An iron door kept unwanted intruders out, a small, grimy panel by its side.

"Doesn't seem like anyone's been here for some time," Bloom commented.

"Well, you don't want regular traffic to your secret weapon storage," Musa said. "Might cause people to actually ask questions, which would be such a shame."  
"Stella, you had the code, didn't you?" Brandon asked.

"Of course I do." The blonde seemed apprehensive. "But after that mess with us getting shot down, I must admit I, like, don't trust it to work."

"We'll take the risk."  
"Alright then." The Solarian princess approached the door. "Here goes nothing."

"Wait," Flora suddenly said, sharply turning towards the surrounding area. "Several entities are approaching."  
"Again?" Musa groaned. "More of those eye freaks?"  
"No, I do not think so."  
Slowly, the waters of the swamp billowed, as several shapes broke the surface. They looked like the horrid amalgam of horse, lizard and human, primitive weapons clutched in their hands.  
"Great. Kelpies," Brandon groaned, as he drew his blade. "Vicious carnivores. Stay away from the water's edge or they will pull you in and try to drown you."  
"Hey, Stella, are you sure those guys from Calisto aren't trying to get us killed?" Riven asked. "Because for a simple pick-up, there sure is a lot of shit going wrong."  
"I know," Stella groaned, as her ring transformed into a staff. "There better be a good explanation for this."

"So, can I presume that I should just start helping?" Ophir inquired.

"Yes. If you could do whatever it is you do, that would be appreciated," Brandon noted, as the group slowly pulled together. The amphibious creatures had surrounded them on all sides and were slowly creeping closer.

The faeries immediately opened fire, blasting the approaching creatures with various elements. The kelpies responded by breaking into a sprint, charging the surrounded people. Brandon, Riven and Sky immediately went to business keeping the creatures at bay, but the sheer weight of numbers threatened to overwhelm them.

Seeing an opportunity, Ophir backed away and scrambled on top of the bunker.

"Hey, where are you going?" Riven asked, cutting down one of the creatures. "I swear, if you run away now..."  
"I'm not," Ophir replied, as he stood on top of the fortified position. "You told me to do my thing. This is my thing." He closed his eyes and focused. Great amounts of magical energy poured through him, as his body changed shape. Within a few seconds, he had become a giant bird of prey. The transformed magi screeched as he set off. He flew up into the air a bit, then swooped down claws first, ripping through the back ranks of the kelpies.

The charge broken, the soldiers quickly turned the tide, slicing through their opponents as the creatures tried to regain momentum. Between the Red Fountain soldiers cutting them, the faeries blasting them and the sudden appearance of a giant raptor, the kelpies were quickly convinced that this food was more trouble than it was worth. They quickly broke rank and charged back into the swamp.

Ophir landed again and quickly resumed his original human shape. "Oh, a little detail," he mentioned, a smile on his face as he turned to the surprised group. "Remember when I said I just walked aboard. Technically, I flew aboard." He paused. "Because I was a pigeon at the time."

Musa sighed. "Figures. I guess this explains why he's such a birdbrain."

"Great. Well, once again, you have managed to assist us in a dire situation," Brandon said, as he walked up and shook Ophir's hand. "I still don't trust you, but thanks."  
"No problem."  
"Now then," the squire began, as he turned and eyed the bunker. "Let's get inside."


	22. The Water Star

Chapter 22: The Water Star

Carefully, almost as if she was afraid that the device would loosen itself from the wall and eat her face if she pressed the wrong button, Stella entered the code her dad had provided her. As she pressed the OK button, she could hear the others hold their breaths. No one actually trusted it to work.

With a rusty groan, the metal plate that served as a door retracted into the roof, revealing an empty room. Slowly, various lights flickered on, illuminating the bare bones interior, the walls and floors the same colour of crimson as the bunker's exterior. In the middle of the floor was an iron plate, a panel on a metal pole beside it.

"Well... At least that part went well," she said relieved. "So what now? Do we, like, just march in and look for the box that says Water Star?"  
"No. I don't think that would be a good idea," Brandon commented. "I see no way to close the door from the inside. Maybe it could be closed with the same code or a different one, though with how things have gone, I'd rather not start experimenting. If the kelpies, beholders or something else returns, they could easily follow and corner us somewhere in there. So I suggest only some of us go into the bunker, with the rest of us keeping watch outside".

"I think my powers would make me well suited for watch duty," Ophir said. "With my bird form, I can easily keep an eye on the area."  
"And my skills with my weapon would be severely hindered in a cramped bunker," the squire added. "Bloom. May I suggest you also stay out here? This weapon is specifically designed to counter dragonflames and you may be at risk if you go in there."  
"Huh. Well, you've got a point there," the redhead commented.

"I'd also like to stay out here," Sky said.

"Why?" Riven questioned.

"Well... It's just... You know." The blond paused. "See, I might accidentally push a wrong button and blow up the bunker or something."

"I hear what you're saying, but it's all translating to 'I gotta hang with my girlfriend. My fragile masculine ego couldn't handle leaving her alone'," the sabre-wielding soldier mockingly replied. "Do you think there's something wrong with the translator?"

"Yes, there is. First step for the repairs is for you to bend over," Sky jovially replied. "Second part is a big surprise."  
"I'm going to give the two of _you_ a surprise, if you don't start acting like professional soldiers, rather than brainless teenagers having a pissing contest," Brandon warned them. "That being said, the four of us will make a decent team for keeping the coast clear, so I do approve of you staying. Riven, you'll escort the five of them in there."

"Joy. Well, I guess I do get to see a military storage bunker from the inside," Riven commented, turning to the door. "That's something different at least."

"Well, let's get going then," Stella said, as she, Riven, Musa, Flora, Helia and Aisha headed inside the structure. They stepped onto the platform and, still rather nervous, the Solarian blonde pressed the down button. With a mechanic groan, the platform started to lower, slowly taking them into the bowels of the complex.

As their friends disappeared from view, Bloom sighed and turned to the three others. "So, what now?"

"Now we wait," Brandon reported, as he sat down on a stone. "While keeping an eye on the area. Hopefully, before long we'll be in contact with Timmy and Techna again."

"I must admit, I am a bit nervous about this," Sky said, eyeing the hole where the elevator had been. "The code should deactivate the defences inside, but with how things have been going..."

"We can only hope everything goes as planned," the squire informed him. "Even if that plan can be summed up as 'walk in and take water star'. Now then, Ophir, I must admit that was a rather impressive transformation. I gather that becoming so much larger in such a short time is rather draining."

"Well, it kinda is. And usually a lot more time consuming," the dark-skinned magi replied. "But you see, thanks to my bird knack it comes naturally to me."  
"Bird knack?" Bloom repeated. "Huh. Didn't know one could have an animal knack."  
"Is it really any weirder than your friend Flora having a knack for plants?" the dark-skinned magi asked.

Bloom paused. "No. I suppose not. And I do remember Lucy's thing being insects. A witch I know from Cloud Tower," she clarified. "But how does your knack work exactly?"

"It gives me a natural affinity for communicating with, taking control off and transforming into birds," Ophir explained. "Though I must admit, I could never take control of a bird as pretty as yourself. It would be too cruel."

"Brandon..."  
"Don't you start with that shit too, Sky."

...

With a sudden jerk and a squeal of strained metal, the elevator came to a halt. The five people on-board had little idea how far down the mechanism had taken them. Lights slowly flickered on, revealing the room. A small puddle of water had formed in a corner, formed from marsh water that dripped through a small crack in the roof. A large cobweb clung to one corner, its long-dead occupant still clinging to it.

"What a wonderful place to hang out," Helia commented

"Dear Solaris, I can hardly breathe," Stella commented and coughed. "Somebody should, like, open a window."

"I think we can assume that there has not been anyone down here for quite a while," Flora commented. She walked over to a large iron door, inspected it and the opened it, its hinges squealing. Behind lay a tunnel, lights already flickering on to illuminate the place. Water dripped from barely noticeable cracks in the ceiling, allowing clumps of moss to grow.

"I do wonder why nobody noticed them building this far out here," Aisha commented, as the group entered the hallway.

"Eh, Magix is still a relatively newly settled planet," Riven commented. "Easy enough to just stake a claim and then drop a ton of dangerous shit out here. Not like anyone will care." He eyed the moss. "Not like they themselves care."

"Most likely, the exterior structure was designed with a possible collapse in mind," Flora hypothesized, "We know the bunker goes deep enough that the troglodytes have seen it."

The group came to a point where the tunnel split in two. Rusty, unreadable signs hung on the wall.

"So... Flip a coin?" Stella asked.

"Nah. Best thing to do when there's so many of us is to split up," Riven said. "Just don't go off entirely on your own and you should be fine."  
"Be that as it may, somebody with experience should probably be in each group," Flora argued. "I therefore suggest that the two of us take a group with us. If any of us find a dead end, we shall try to meet up again, so long as the other path does not also split. We want to avoid a situation in which we run around in circles trying to find one another."

"Eh, point taken," the magenta-haired soldier replied. "Right then, so who goes with whom? Or should we flip a coin for _this_ part, as Stella suggested?"  
"I'll go with Riven," Musa said. "Somebody has to keep an eye on him." The comment caused the sabre-wielding soldier to roll his eyes, though he did not look unhappy at her deciding to join up with him.  
"Stella, I suggest you also go with Riven," Flora said. "Between me and Aisha, we should have the essentials covered and we should easily be able to guide Helia through any hypothetical darkened areas. Your light generating powers will come in handy, should they run into an area where the power has ceased to function."  
"Alrighty then," Stella agreed and so the group split up.

Not long after, the group lead by Riven arrived at another door. With a: "Doesn't this place have anything but doors and hallways?" he pushed it open, only for the room behind it to answer his question. Monitors, screens and keyboards were packed on every side of the room, a fine layer of dust covering them.

"Sure could have used Techna for this," Stella said as they entered. "This is totally right up her alley."

"Eh, it's just some old techno junk," Riven commented, as he approached one of the consoles. He hit to starts button, while saying: "But I bet there's still something useful on it."

"Hello, user," came a feminine, if somewhat stilted voice from one of the consoles.

The sabre-wielding soldier blinked. "Bwuh?"

Slowly, the computers in the room began to hum. The screen flickered and various data popped up on them.

"I am Arcadia, the managing AI of bunker MO-5," said the computer. "You have disabled the outer security defence systems with your password, so I am allowed to presume that you have business here."

"Ehm... Yes," Riven replied, still surprised. "Didn't expect this though."  
"How can I be of service?" inquired Arcadia.

"We're looking for the water stars," Stella said quickly.

"Ah, project ADF-000234. Yes, the project is securely stored in the main storage complex below us," the computer informed them. "Please input the correct code to disable the inner security and I can activate the retrieval process."

"Oh. Ehm..." The blonde scratched her neck. "Is... Is it the same as for the outer ones?"  
"No."  
"Those guys from Calisto really do want to kill us, don't they?" Riven dryly remarked.

"I take it this means you do not actually have the code to disable the inner security," the computer remarked.  
"Okay, listen here," Musa began. "We need to get those water stars, okay? Because if we don't get them, then this renegade magi named Valtor will keep running amok and who knows when that will go horribly wrong."  
"I understand your problem, but please understand that it is not by choice that I prevent you from gaining the water stars," Arcadia explained. "I am simply unable to do so. In order to ensure the safety of the things being held within bunker MO-5, certain limits has been placed on me." It paused. "That being said, I can offer help."  
"Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but shouldn't the protective AI of this place refrain from giving help to us?" Riven inquired.

"You had the outer defence password and that has removed some limitations from my programming. I am therefore authorised to tell you about the emergency defence shut-down protocol if I deem it a case of an emergency issue. As I have no reason to suspect that you lie and no way to research this Valtor myself, I deem this Valtor to be an emergency issue."

"Wow. Thanks, Arcadia," Stella said relieved. "So, how does this work?"  
"Below us is the top of the main storage complex, which is the emergency defence shut-down protocol complex. From there, three hallways split off," the AI began. "At the end of each is a switch. If all three switches are pulled within five seconds of one another, the inner security systems will be deactivated, as per the emergency defence shut-down protocol."  
"But it's not going to be that easy, is it?" Musa asked.

"No. The moment you enter the emergency defence shut-down protocol complex, you will trigger an alarm. After five minutes, it will go off. If you fail to pull all three within the five second time-frame, it will also cause it to go off. I am not programmed with the knowledge of what said alarm does, so I can only presume it will be bad. Also, the hallways themselves are defended. I am not programmed with the knowledge of what said defences are, but supposedly they are designed to be easy to get through by those who are in the know about the emergency defence shut-down protocol. The choice of attempting to activate the emergency defence shut-down protocol is yours."  
"Huh," Riven paused. "Girls?"  
"It would not be the first time we have put ourselves at risk," Musa pointed out.

"Yep. We're tots ready," Stella agreed.

"In that case, I shall open the emergency defence shut-down protocol complex. Remember, the moment you pass into the room below, you will only have five minutes to complete the emergency defence shut-down protocol," Arcadia warned them. "A verbal warning will be issued when the timer starts."

"So how do we know when to pull?" Stella asked.

"We wait until four minutes and fifty seconds have passed," Musa said. "I have a watch. I'll signal you when I pull with my control of sound."

"Sounds like a plan," Riven added. "Let's do this."  
"Opening the emergency hatch to the emergency defence shut-down protocol complex," Arcadia informed them. A piece of the floor opened up, revealing a ladder. Quickly, the three of them hurried onto it and made their way down.

...

Outside the building, Sky threw another rock, which bounced several times across the surface of the murky water before breaking through.

"That was a good shot," Bloom, who sat on an exposed root behind him, said. "I've never been good at that."

"It's all about finding the right rock and using the right wrist movement," the blond explained. "But there's not a lot of good stones here. Better chance at finding them by the beach."  
"I see." Bloom was silent for a moment. "I... Don't know if this is too personal, but... How did it feel? You know, when Valtor controlled your mind."  
"In hindsight. Creepy," the prince answered. "But while under the influence, you barely notice. Not until you suddenly realize that something is terribly wrong and your brain balks at the confusion. Like when you brought up that I didn't say what I had said that I wanted to say." He paused.

"Say that three times fast," Bloom commented.

Sky chuckled and replied: "Yeah. But as I said, those times, it felt like my brain was tying knots on itself trying to figure it out. Like I somewhere inside me knew that things where whack, but every time I tried to figure out the why and how of it, the mark would force my thoughts in other directions, until I just ended up going in circles." He threw another rock, though this one did not manage as many skips as the first one. "Going in circles until Diaspro gave me a command, to be precise."  
"What happened to her after she was picked up on Omega, by the way?"

"Well, first she was in quarantine at Lightrock for a while. They wanted to make sure Valtor didn't still have some influence over her."  
"Makes sense."  
"After that, Dad arranged for her to get some tutors who could help expand on her skills, although he told me they were also to function as lifestyle coaches." He scratched his chin. "They were to help her get out of, what did he call it, those self-destructive patterns her family had imposed on her."

"I do hope she gets better," Bloom commented. "That could have been any of us under different circumstances."  
"Yeah. I thank the Dragon that my parents weren't that bad." Sky looked up, noticing a bird flying through the mist. "Ah, looks like Ophir is actually coming back."

The avian form dived through the thick mist and landed on the grass, shortly thereafter transforming into Ophir's human form.

"Well?" Brandon asked, as he marched over to the dark-skinned magi. "Anything we need to worry about?"

"Nope. I saw some kelpies, but it seems they've lost interest in us for now," Ophir replied. "I'll take another swoop through the area later, just to be safe."

"I approve of that idea."

As the two of them circled the bunker, eyes ever vigilant for approaching dangers, Ophir asked: "So, any news from the bunker team or Timmy?"  
"Negative. Then again, it hasn't been that long." The squire tapped his ear-piece. "Though I admit, this complete lack of communication is unnerving. I hope they managed to shut down whatever it is that's scrambling the signals." He paused. "By the way, you're quite handy in battle. Were you trained or is that just pure experience or luck?"  
"Heh. Well, as skilled as I am, I can't claim to have been in a lot of scuffles myself," Ophir replied. "I grew up on a small island kingdom on Andros. Not a whole lot of people. So most kids I hung out with where from the local guards and military. I picked up a couple of things from them and combined it with the magic I was tutored in. Though this is really the second time I've been able to use them outside of my training." He smirked. "It's nice to see that I am as good as I like to think I am."

"Isn't it always?" Brandon paused. "So I suppose that despite this moment of bonding, you're still not going to tell me why you're here."  
"Actually, when you arrived at Alfea, you parked right on the picnic spot I had chosen, ruining my date," Ophir dramatically declared. "I've come to seek revenge."  
"I take that as a no." The brunette suddenly stopped. "Huh? Timmy, is that you?"  
"Thank the Dragon, it's working," said the bespectacled soldier relieved. "We've got the antenna and such repaired and much of the scrambling decoded. Though I'm still worried about taking off. There's probably more defences waiting to shoot us."  
"Yeah, I can imagine." Brandon eyed the bunker. "Let's hope the others can get that particular problem fixed."

...

"Entrance into the emergency defence shut-down complex has been detected," a robotic voice loudly blared, as Riven, Musa and Stella reached the floor. "A five minute timer has been started. If the emergency defence shut-down procedure is not completed at the end of the five minute timer, emergency defence measures will be taken to purge Bunker MO-5."

"Purge?" Stella repeated. "I don't like the sound of that word."  
"Then we need to hurry," Riven said and looked around. The chamber they were in was round, with three hallways leading in different directions. "Arcadia said there's going to be a switch down each of those hallways, with some form of security in the way."  
"Wish that damn TV up there could have elaborated on that," Musa commented. "Oh well, I guess we'll just have to play this one by ear. I started my phone's timer the moment we got that message, so I've got the time right here. And it says that we better get our asses in gear, otherwise we might just find out what it intends to do to purge us."

"Right. I'll take this one. It doesn't look as dirty," Stella said, before running down one of the corridors.

"Fine. I'll take this one then," Musa said and stormed off.

Riven eyed the remaining hallway. He shrugged and charged into it.

...

One minute later, Stella was still hurrying down the hallway. The dimly lit, crimson stretch constantly twisted and turned, making her constantly wary. Around every corner she expected an unwholesome surprise of some sort. Yet nothing came of it. In a way, that was perhaps even worse. She had no idea how much time she had, only that it wasn't enough to allow herself to be careful. She just had to hope it was enough.

She rounded a corner and saw a switch at the end of the hallway. She breathed a sigh of relief and sped up.

There was a flash.

She stumbled and fell to the floor. Her head was spinning and she had to strain her eyes to see. She had landed face first in some snow, which was quickly cooling down her green, webbed hands.

Her green, webbed hands.

The Solarian princess stared at her transformed appendages. Slowly, she got up on her knees and began feeling herself. She had somehow been transformed. Once again, she was a frog.  
"Oh no, oh no, oh no," she said, panic rising in her voice. "Not again. Not again. How did this... Did... Did Valtor know about this place? No, that doesn't make any sense. Why... Why am I...?" She looked around, desperate to get her bearings. The whole hallway had been frosted over, icicles hanging from the ceiling. She could see her breath as she gasped. Her clothes had torn from her suddenly grown bulk, flappy green flesh now protruding from rips in the seams.

"What... What happened?" she repeated and looked around. "How did..." She looked over her shoulder. Back down the hallway, she could see it. The Mirror of Truth. Her face lit up in a smile. It was right there. She took a step forward, then stopped. She looked over her shoulder. The switch was still there, lightly encased in ice.

Surely she had a moment, she thought. Surely she could manage to get her original form back and still pull the switch. Who knew if it would still be there afterwards. She still had the time. Didn't she?

She stopped, then wrenched herself away from the mirror. "No," she said insistently, as she marched up to the lever. "I am Stella Guildenstern. I am more than my looks. And if the price for stopping Valtor is looking like this for a while, I'll pay it." She grabbed the lever, closed her eyes and awaited the signal.

Elsewhere, Riven was getting annoyed. The hallway made little sense to him, twisting and turning for seemingly no reason whatsoever. He would have preferred to sneak, due to the risk of traps. But with a strict time limit and absolutely no clue how long the hallway would be, he had no time for that. He just had to hope that it would pay off. He rounded another corner and saw a flippable switch at the end. He charged towards it.

There was a flash.

He stopped. The hallway had been replaced with a cozy and warm room. It looked very homely. There were pictures on the walls, a nice garden through the window and an air of calmness. It was... nice. Riven felt himself instantly relax as he took in the atmosphere. He raised an eyebrow as he recognised a person in several of the pictures. It was himself. He curiously wandered up to the collection of photos. It showed him and some other people, from when he was but a young kid to now. He stopped and looked down at himself. He was no longer wearing his uniform. Instead, he was wearing some luxurious fur clothes. They made him feel warm. He shook them a bit, enjoying the feel of fur against his skin. Warm and snuggly.

A door creaked behind him and a butler walked in. "Master Riven, dinner is served. Your parents are waiting for you."

Riven stared. "My parents?"  
"Indeed."

The magenta-haired soldier looked away, then chuckled.

"What is it, Master Riven?"  
"Nothing. Just..." He sighed and walked over to the garden door. He opened it. Unsurprisingly, he could see the switch in the distance, fastened to a tree.

"Master Riven, where are you going? Your family is waiting for you?"

Riven looked over his shoulder, a sad smile on his face. "Just a young boy's dream," he quietly said to himself and marched on. "Nothing important about that."

Elsewhere in the complex, Musa hurried down the hallway. Much like the others, she found the layout needlessly twisty. She eyed her phone. Two minutes left. She felt an intense pang of relief as she rounded a corner and spotted the flippable switch at the end. She'd just have to get there, wait for the time to almost run out and then send the signal. It was the only way there was even a chance that they would all get there, now that they couldn't communicate with each other. She rushed forward, eager to be in position.

There was a flash.

She stumbled and blinked. Slowly, she looked around. She was in a house. Her mind reeled as she tried to process what was happening. The twisting hallway had been replaced with a house.

Realization hit like a ton of bricks. It was _her_ house. Where she and her parents had lived. They had moved after Matlin's death, but she still remembered the place. Her brain went crazy, trying to figure out how any of this this could be. Her house shouldn't be in a bunker on Magix. That made no sense at all.

"Honey, is that you?" came a voice.

Musa froze. "No," she whispered, her legs starting to quiver. She looked over her shoulder, conflicting emotions exploding in her mind.

In the door to the kitchen stood her mother, her now much younger father besides her. "We've just made a new song together? Would you like to come hear us rehearse it?"  
Musa kept staring. Tears welled up in her eyes. She clenched them and the drops trailed down her cheeks. "Yes," she hoarsely whispered. "I would have loved to do that."  
"What do you mean, honey?" her mother asked, her voice full of concern. "Is there something wrong?"

Musa stared at her deceased mother. She stared at the lively man her father had once been.

She sighed sorrowfully. She knew what it was. Yet despite that, she wanted nothing more than to give in. But she couldn't.

She wrenched herself away and marched up to the front door, every step a battle of willpower.

"Honey? Honey, where are you going? Honey, please stay with us."  
"Damn you," Musa whispered, as she tore the door open, hot tears blurring her vision. "Damn you for making me do this."

She looked up and saw the switch at the end of their walkway. She kept moving, each step accompanied by her mother's concerned and worried calls. She grabbed the lever and stared at her phone. Twenty seconds left.

"Musa, don't do it," her mother, who now stood in the open door, begged. "If you pull that lever, you can't stay with us."  
The musician sighed. "I know." She concentrated and a magically enhanced whistling filled the facility. Eyes still blurry, Musa looked at her mother one last time and then pulled the switch.

Elsewhere in the facility, two other switches were pulled.

There was a flash.

The hallway had returned to normal.

"The emergency defence shut-down procedure has been completed," the robotic voice informed her. "The scheduled purge of bunker MO-5 has now been cancelled. Have a nice day."  
Musa dried her eyes, then slowly began marching back to meet with the others.

...

"Ah, you have successfully returned," Arcadia said, as the silent trio finished ascending the ladder. "The inner security systems have been disabled thanks to the emergency defence shut-down procedure and I can now bring you the water star."

"That's... That's great," Musa quietly commented, her eyes still slightly red. She looked at the others. Stella was constantly fumbling with her fingers, as if to assure herself that they were still there, while Riven looked uncharacteristically contemplative, a slight frown on his lips.

"Wait," the blonde suddenly said. "Weren't there supposed to be more than one?"  
"Technically, there is," Arcadia informed them. "Specifically, there are three water stars. Two surviving prototypes and a finished model. Of course, the finished one is the safest to use, so I presume that's the one you want?"  
"Yeah. That's fine," Riven quietly replied.

"Sending order to storage retrieval unit. Order confirmed. The water star will be here in a few minutes," the computer informed them.

"So, like, is there a user manual?" the Solarian princess asked.

"The water star is based on a typical alchemical grenade," the system explained. "There is an obvious activation button, after which there will be a six second delay before detonation. After the detonation has been initiated, any dragonflame within circa half a metre will be temporarily extinguished."  
"Temporarily?" Musa inquired. "What do you mean by temporarily?"  
"That the process is reversible," Arcadia clarified. "A non-dowsed dragonflame, if the wielder is skilled enough, can be used to undo the dowsing, restoring the dowsed dragonflame to its previous strength. Although the long term effects were never tested, it was hypothesized that long-term exposure to dowsing could possibly result in the dowsed flame experiencing a loss of power."  
"So that means that Valtor can undo it," Riven said. "If he can get his hands on a dragonflame."

"What about the three witches?" Musa asked. "Didn't Darkar give them some of his flame?"  
"Yeah. But you heard the computer," Stella pointed out. "They would have to be skilled in its use and their flames aren't that strong. They've yet to pull off what Bloom can do when she really lets loose."

"I suppose so. Still, better not waste this chance," Riven commented.

A wall-mounted light lit up with a bing, were after a panel opened, revealing a box.

"The water star is sealed within," Arcadia informed them. "With this business now concluded, I will undo control room seal."  
The door to the room opened, revealing a very surprised Flora, Helia and Aisha. "Oh," the brunette said. "And here I was getting ready to go ask if Brandon had brought a barrier buster. Are you okay?"  
"Feel like crap, but we got the star," Musa said, as she grabbed the box.

"Wait, the door was sealed?" Stella asked, turning to the computer. "Why?"  
"Part of the emergency defence shut-down procedure. Due to the purging being done with a special experimental acidic neurotoxin, it was deemed necessary to seal the door in order to prevent an unintended leak."

"Acidic neurotoxin?" the blonde nervously repeated.

"I think I could have had a long and happy life without knowing that," Musa dryly stated. "So now what?"  
"Well, now that you have the box, I suppose we shall return to the others," Flora stated.

"Please do note that due to the emergency defence shut-down procedure, the external defences have also been disabled," Arcadia stated. "Please do inform my creators so that they can input the emergency defence reboot procedure. Until then, bunker MO-5 will be without any security measures".

"Well, I have to contact Dad anyway about a certain republic and their lack of information," Stella growled.

"So, what was down that other hallway?" Riven asked, as they began their trek back.

"Just some mouldy beds," Helia replied.

...

There was a certain sense of anxiety hanging in the air, as the Red Fountain eagle took off. After everything that had transpired, nobody dared expect that leaving would go smoothly. However, as Mistvale Forest disappeared behind them, the tension faded.

"Everything looks clear," Riven commented, from his post at the radar. "Weather looks fine, no missiles. Should be smooth sailing from here." He paused. "Unless griffins attack us again. That could be an issue."  
"Yes, well, let us hope that will not be the case," Brandon said. "Sky, estimated time of arrival at Alfea?"

"Early morning. Roughly at five if I had to make an educated guess," the prince responded.

"Alright then, Stella, the communicator is prepped, if you still want to make that call," Timmy said, turning from his equipment.

"I tots do," the blonde said. "Now, let's get to the bottom of this." She pressed in the number and initiated the call.

"Honey, is that you?" came her father's voice. "Thank Solaris, I've been trying to contact you all day. Do not go get the water star just yet. It turns out..."  
"We already have it, Dad," Stella interrupted.

"Oh. I see. Huh." Silence followed. "You know, for somebody who is not actually part of the military, you girls sure do handle these things well. Are everyone okay?"

"Some bruises and the like, but nothing major," Brandon added.

"I see. And you got the water star to boot. Interesting. Well, I do suppose that in the end, that's what matters."  
"Right. Can we presume your warning has anything to do with how we were shot down by a missile and assaulted by monsters?" Timmy questioned.

King Radius went quiet again. "Nothing major?"  
"Yep. Nothing major," the squire confirmed.

"Downright amazing. Anyway, there was a misunderstanding. The Republic of Calisto gave me some information about bunker MO-5 as a sign of goodwill. It was meant to satisfy me until they could call a full meeting to decide if they indeed did want to hand over the water star. See, if it's used to stop Valtor, that will raise questions about where that device came from and who made it. Questions that will probably have to be answered. And Calisto's government wasn't sure they were ready for that. They still aren't, but that is out of their hands now. I am certainly not going to ask you to put it back until they've had a boardroom meeting about it."

"That does explain a lot," Stella commented. "You should, like, be more careful with that, Dad. None of us enjoys being shot down."

"Not to mention having to put this tincan back together again," Techna commented. "I mean, I like tinkering, but geez does digging pieces of shrapnel out get trivial after the first sixty pieces." She took a sip from the can she held. "Good thing I had beer."  
"I didn't know Red Fountain allowed alcohol on their vessels," Radius commented.

"They don't," Timmy said.

"Well, if that was, like, all, we'll talk later, Dad," Stella said. "Oh, and do tell Calisto that they've got a computer out here waiting for them to restart the security."

"I will do that. Sleep tight." The call ended.

Elsewhere in the ship, Musa was sitting and looking at the clouds and stars through a window. Her gaze shifted as she noted Riven was coming over to her. "What's up?"  
"Heh, nothing. Just wanted to check in on you." He sat down beside her. "After that shit that went down in the bunker, I just wanted to make sure everything was alright. Stella said her tunnel made her think she was a frog again. And I know I also saw some things. So, especially given that you've been very quiet, I just wanted to make sure you were, you know, okay and stuff."

"Eh. I'll be fine." She shook her head. "Damn defence system used my parents against me. Made it seem as if my mother was alive and such. I hated it. Having to leave her behind. But... It was just an illusion. I knew that and it still hurt."  
"Yikes. Seems like the defences used us against ourselves."  
Musa looked at him. "What did you see?"  
"Ah, you know, nothing important. Certainly nothing I couldn't walk away from," Riven noted dismissively.

"And what does that mean?"  
"Well, I saw..." He exhaled and shook his head. "I saw an old dream of mine, I guess you could say. That I lived the good life. Had actual parents and stuff."  
Musa blinked. "Actual parents?"  
"Heh. Yeah, I don't talk a lot about this. Pointless to do so." The sabre-wielding soldier shook his head. "I'm an orphan. The closest I have to a family is Timmy's. They've been good to me. Ever since the two of us became friends, they've invited me to all sorts of things. So it's not like I feel isolated or anything. And even if I found my parents, odds are that they wouldn't be rich or super famous anyway." He was quiet for a moment. "It's just, when I see people like Sky, who are born with a good family and so many riches that his breakfast is probably gilded, I get... Well, I get jealous. I know that's not right, but... As a kid, that's what I wanted. For my magical, mega-rich parents to swoop in and take me away to some paradise estate." He shook his head again. "As I said, nothing I couldn't walk away from. And certainly nothing as heavy as yours. Just a young boy's dream."  
The black-haired musician was quiet for a moment, before saying. "There's nothing wrong with dreaming, you know."  
"Maybe not. But reality is what really counts when you get down to it."  
"Perhaps. But thanks for sharing. I do appreciate that you can open up to me once in a while." She smirked. "Also, you're blushing."  
"Am not," Riven protested. "It's just... You know, hot in here. Engine spreads heat and such. You know."  
"Of course." She turned and looked out the window again. "But don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Just need some time, really. And as soon as we I get home, I'm calling my dad."  
"He'll probably appreciate that."  
And the eagle continued its journey across the mountains.


	23. Valtor's Challenge

Chapter 23: Valtor's Challenge

With a soft thumb, the Red Fountain eagle landed on the grassy plain behind Alfea. The group inside stepped out into the cool morning air.

Musa yawned and stretched her limbs, before commenting: "That was a nice and uneventful journey back. Wish we could have more of those."

"I concur," Bloom added, before noticing a person moving towards them across the plain. "Oh, good morning Miss Faragonda."  
"Good morning, Bloom," the headmistress responded. "Saladin has informed me of why you have been gone. I am not sure I approve, but circumstances taken into consideration, I understand your decision." She paused. "I also appreciate you did this in the weekend, but if the journey has been exhaustive, I am willing to grant you all a day or two off."  
"I dunno if I can, like, afford that," Stella admitted sheepishly. "My grades haven't been that great lately."

"Oh, so you girls have a habit of skipping school?" Ophir inquired.

"Well, it has happened. On occasions," Bloom replied.

Faragonda coughed rather loudly.

"Oh, fine. We've probably snuck off to places plenty of times."  
The headmistress and Flora both coughed loudly.

"You two should get that looked at," Riven dryly commented.

Bloom sighed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, so on multiple occasions we have snuck on-board transports and run off without permission due to a variety of reasons, some of which were reasonable and some of which were not. Happy now?"

Faragonda and the Limphean brunette both nodded.

"And yet I get thrown in the brig when I do it. How odd," the dark-skinned magi commented.

"On that note, who are you?" Faragonda inquired.

"Ophir, gentleman magi and defender of beautiful women in need of aid." He added a theatrical bow.

"I see. Anyway, I've been in contact with Saladin and he has granted me and my staff permission to do a full investigation on the Water Star while we wait for permission to use it from Calisto," the headmistress explained.

"Sure. It's in here," Brandon said, as he handed her the box. "According to the bunker's AI, it works much like an alchemical grenade, but that's all we really know of it. Obviously, we haven't tested it."

"I see. Hopefully, we will be able to discern its inner workings before having to utilize it." Faragonda carefully inspected the box. "I'll bring this to the lab for study. Thank you all for acquiring this." She politely nodded and headed off again.

"Well, we better go jet back to Red Fountain. I'm sure Saladin is eagerly awaiting our 'vacation report'," Sky said.

"Maybe we should make it like an actual vacation report. With awkward photos and everything," Brandon suggested. "Shame we didn't take any."  
"Oh, don't worry. I think I can make something for that," Helia commented thoughtfully.

"So, hey, what do you all say that we celebrate this lil' victory of ours by going out later this week?" Techna asked. "I'm thinking visiting the dance club down in Magicalis. They've usually got a pretty funky beat going and some good drinks too."  
"But of course you'd go somewhere with alcohol," Riven commented dryly. "Do you even drink water?"  
"Occasionally."  
"I'd, ehm, I actually rather like that suggestion," Timmy added. "It is a rather fun place. A bit loud, yes, but fun."  
"You've been to a dance club?" Sky asked. "Wait, let me guess. Techna dragged you there, didn't she?"  
"Well, ehm, I wouldn't exactly use the word dragged," the bespectacled sharpshooter commented. "More like she politely insisted I at least try it."  
"Well, I think that sounds like a totally great idea," Stella added. "What about you, hon'?"  
"Eh, why not. Should be fun," Brandon said.

"Great. This sound like a fun opportunity for all of us to get closer and bond," Ophir added exuberantly.

Riven glared at him. "Who invited you?"  
"My dear Riven, a man of my status can invite himself," the dark-sinned magi proudly proclaimed. "Besides, depriving me of all the beauties and depriving them of me would be a horrid crime against us all."  
"Okay, bud', there's no fucking..."  
"Sure, you can come along," Brandon said.

"Okay, why?" Musa asked, eyebrow raised.

"Because I've started to like him."

"Why? He's a self-absorbed douchenozzle who thinks he's the Dragon's gift to womankind," Riven inquired annoyed.

"Yep. He entertains me," Brandon said. "But you're welcome to sit this one out if he's too much for you to handle."

The magenta-haired warrior snorted. "No way am I letting that fop kick me out of the group."  
"There, there, Riven. I am sure we just haven't had our essential moment of bonding," Ophir offered soothingly, placing a hand on the irate soldier's shoulder.

"Remove the hand or I'll remove it for you."  
"That's it, my friend. Let all of your negative emotions out so that our blossoming camaraderie can be nurtured."  
"Captain..."  
"No, Riven, we do not maim civilians."

...

A look of deep contemplation was plastered on Valtor's face, as he went through the data he had collected. Over the last couple of weeks, he had begun gathering information for his revival of Domino. It had taken longer than he had planned, mostly because resolving the curse seemed to hinge on finding his way to the Obsidian Prison. And so far, he had no luck in that. In his brief partnership with the Coven, they had not revealed to him where the place was, only that it existed. He therefore had to figure out where to find a surviving Coven member he could get the info from. The name Mandragora popped up a lot in discussions of Coven members that were never caught, but it gave him precious little to work with.

But another problem had also come to his attention. Though he was lacking in informants among the higher echelons of power, he was adept enough at piecing together info from less informed sources. And the picture that was forming was starting to concern him.

He turned his head, as he noted Darcy entering the room. "Any luck?" he asked.

"Not so far. The security is tight," the witch responded. "No surprise, really. So we're still in the dark on that account."  
"That is reason enough to worry if you ask me," Valtor mumbled, as he returned his attention to the screen.

"What is?" Stormy asked, as she entered the room too. "Is something going on?"  
"Maybe. But signs point to yes." He clicked, bringing up info on the computer. "Lately, there's been a lot of information exchanged between Solaria and Calisto. And while out scouting, Darcy noted my sister returning from some unknown journey, handing Faragonda a mysterious package in the process."  
"And you think these two things are related?" the wild-haired witch inquired.

"Yes. I happen to know that Calisto did experiment with anti-dragonflame weaponry, though they were forbidden from testing or producing any after a grand summit between the realms were held," Valtor explained. "I didn't think much of it at first, but now... They might have grown desperate enough to be willing to utilize such a weapon against me. The problem is that I have little to no idea what such a weapon would entail. It's very secret."  
"And my attempts to acquire the information illegally have been unsuccessful so far," Darcy noted. "Mostly due to how many precautions I have to take to ensure that we remain undiscovered out here."  
"So let us assume that they indeed do have such an item," Stormy said. "Then what?"  
"Then we need to relieve them of it," Valtor replied. "I am too close to risk being stopped at the last minute by some random dohickey they picked up." He folded his hands. "I have an idea. I will need to gain everyone's attention. A spectacle big enough to draw everyone in. And then I shall infiltrate the school myself, locate the device and either take it or destroy it if I deem it too dangerous."

"Do you have anything specific in mind?" Darcy asked. "Anything I we can help with?"  
"Sorry, but I'll have to do this myself. No offence, but as I am considered the main threat of us all, I will most easily be able to gain their full and undivided attention," Valtor replied.

"But then what about the school. If this really is an anti-dragonflame weapon, it might be dangerous for you to be close to it," the dirty-blonde suggested. "It might even be a trap."

"I doubt it's a trap. We've had to work hard to gain even this minuscule amount of info," Valtor replied. "And with the many dragonshades I have acquired, I stand the best chance of being able to deal with whatever I encounter at Alfea. We do not have an army at the moment, so this is a risk we'll have to take if we do not want to be surprised by some secret experimental government super-weapon."  
"I suppose I see the wisdom in that," Darcy commented. "Very well then."

...

A couple of days later, right at the beginning of the next weekend, the group made good of their promise and travelled to Magicalis to spend some time together. The dance club in question Techna had chosen was known as the Neon Lounge, and the persistent thumping of its music could be heard down the road.

"So, how did that vacation report go?" Bloom asked, as the group walked down the street.

"Helia owned the room. He had made a series of twelve pictures and used each to tell a long story about our journey, none of which had anything of military value in them," Sky said. "And then he finished off each picture by talking about how he painted it and such."  
"I think Cordatorta broke three ribs just forcing himself to not laugh," Riven added.

"Not to mention that Belisma kept asking questions and Xanti actually hushed Saladin whenever he tried to break things up." Sky paused. "Afterwards, we did of course deliver an actual report, but by then Saladin looked like he was spending all his willpower on not going comatose. It was hilarious."

"And he did apologize afterwards for accidentally misinforming me," Helia added.

"How nice of him," Mirta said happily. "It's good to hear that you and your grandfather is getting along."  
"Well... Getting along might be a bit too strong a phrase to use, but I'm actually convinced now that he didn't try to trick me into going on this mission. So that's something."

"Yep. It is always nice when you can get along with those closest to your heart," Ophir stated. "Speaking of close to the heart, I must say that you look absolutely radiant in that dress Aisha."

"Oh, ehm, thanks," the dark-skinned princess murmured shyly.

The group ascended the steps of the dance hall, paid the entrance fee and walked inside. A live band was performing on stage, coloured lights bathed the room and people were dancing the night away.

"Alright, let's party," Techna declared. "Come on, Databoy. It's time to get groovy."  
"But I'll probably almost snap my ankle again," Timmy commented, as his girlfriend dragged him off. "Or somebody else's."

"Do you also have an excuse to avoid dancing?" Musa coyly asked Riven.

"Me. No. I'm actually a pretty excellent dancer," he proudly replied. "You might even find it hard to keep up with me."  
"Oh really? Let's see if your legs move as fast as your mouth." With that, the two of them dashed out onto the floor.

"So, do you dance?" Ophir asked, turning to Aisha.

"Well... Yes. But usually not to this kind of music." She paused, listening to the rhythmic thumping. "Reminds me a bit of a heart. But for now, I'd just like to sit down. If, ehm, if that's okay."

"Your wish is my command," Ophir replied, with a flourish of his arm. "Shall I procure drinks for the occasion?"

"Oh. Sure. Something non-alcoholic." She looked contemplative for a moment. "They do have non-alcoholic drinks here, right?"

"Considering Techna brought us here, who knows," Brandon replied. "I'm kidding of course. I'm sure they've got something. Would you like something too, Stella?"  
"Hmm, I could use a bit of a refreshment, now that you mention it."

"Then let's go get those drinks," the squire said, as he and Ophir headed off.

Slowly, the group spread out, occasionally meeting up again to chat and such. Aisha found herself sitting in a corner with a bubbly, sweet drink Ophir had brought her, curiously observing the rest of the guests. "I... I hope you... Don't find me boring for just sitting here," she said, eyeing Ophir. "If... If you'd rather go look for someone who'd like to dance, I'd understand."

"And leave you here all alone without company? What kind of man would be so inconsiderate," he replied, dramatic shock filling his tone. "Do not worry. I shall accompany you unless pressing matter dictate otherwise." He took a sip from his drink and surveyed the room. His eyes suddenly widened and the sweet, bubbly drink exploded from his nose and mouth.

Aisha immediately began patting the coughing magi on the back, all the while trying to figure out what had caused such a reaction. Then she noticed them. Three big, burly looking guys in suits and sunglasses were pushing their way through the crowd.

"So... Hurk... Sorry. That would be... Urk... Pressing matters coming this way," Ophir exclaimed, as he leapt from his seat and dashed away.

"YOU THERE! HALT!" one of the suited guys yelled, as he noticed the dark-skinned magi making a break for it. "Dammit, he's getting away. AFTER HIM!"

Aisha stared in shock as Ophir disappeared into the crowd, the burly men at his heels.

"Wait, why are those gorillas after him?" Techna asked, as she stopped by the table.

"I don't know." Aisha blinked. "But... But we gotta help him. Quick, get the others."

...

"So let me get this straight," Stella said, as the group hurried out of the dance club. "Everything was going totally fine, until suddenly a bunch of, like, suits came charging after Ophir. Does that sum it up?" She paused as Aisha confirmed her summation. "And they were wearing sunglasses? Indoors and at night? Who does that?"

"It's usually for intimidation in my experience," Techna remarked as she scouted the streets. "Where did he go? I can't find either him or the gorillas."

"They could have run off in just about any direction," Brandon commented. "We should split up. Search the entire area and such. Does anyone have Ophir's phone number? Or any way to contact him?"

"No, not really," Aisha replied. "He just kinda shows up on his own."  
"And how do we know there's not a good reason for them to be after him?" Musa asked. "As far as we know, he could be a criminal or something."  
"True, I will grant you that we still don't know a lot about the guy," the squire admitted. "That being said, we should still endeavour to find out if that's the case, which we can only do if we manage to track them."  
"I suppose." A sudden flash of lightning and rumbling of thunder made the musician jump. "Oh, great, just what I need. What now?"  
Above, thick thunderclouds gathered, flashing with charged energy and rumbling with such force, that everyone below could feel it in their bones.

"Oh, great," Flora dryly commented. "Bloom, it would appear that your brother is putting on another show."

Valtor's face manifested in the clouds above. "Citizens of Magicalis," he boomed. "I am Valtor the Great, Bane of Domino, Scourge of the Multiverse and current owner of powers beyond your wildest imagination." For some reason, Bloom couldn't help but think that the well-dressed magi should be stroking a white cat, just to complete the image. "Your pathetic attempts at interfering with my grand designs have finally become enough of a nuisance that I refuse to ignore you any longer. You have begged me to strike you all down and so I shall answer that plea." Every syllable was laced with drama, with such an overblown attempt at seeming threatening that it almost seemed weird he didn't spontaneously sprout a moustache he could twirl. "I challenge my greatest enemies, Faragonda, Saladin and Griffin, to a final, ultimate showdown. Meet me at the southern coast of Lake Roccaluce tomorrow at noon and we shall settle the score for the last time. If any of you refuse, I shall gather all of my awesome might and wipe Magicalis of the face of Magix. And soon, all shall see that I am truly the greatest, the grandest and the most powerful magi in all of existence. Ahahahahahahahahaha. Valtor out." With those words, his image faded and the large clump of thunderclouds dissipated. People, who had gathered to watch the display, began murmuring worriedly.

"Another attempt at manipulating people with his reputation," Flora noted. "I do wonder what he is trying to accomplish this time."  
"So, he's not really going to wipe out the city?" Mirta asked. "That's good to hear."  
"Still, he's after something," Stella mumbled speculatively. "Last time was that boxy thing. So what could he want that requires him to fight those three?"  
"Dunno. But it can't be good," Sky mentioned. "And we still have to find Ophir."  
"Let us split up. There's nothing we can do about the Valtor situation anyway," Brandon stated. "But if we're lucky we can find Ophir."

...

Back at Alfea, the staff had gathered for an emergency meeting.

"The question is," Avalon began. "Could Valtor truly destroy Magicalis?"

"I have no doubt he could," Faragonda said, sitting behind her desk with a thoughtful expression. "Even before he managed to collect all these dragonshades, he had enough power to curse Domino with eternal winter."

"But if what Griffin told us of the lad is true, then I don't think we need to be worried," Wizgiz suggested. "I doubt he will actually do it."  
"Still, many people will not think he is bluffing," Griselda insisted. "It could easily cause widespread panic."

"But there can also be no doubt that this is some form of trap," Palladium added. "Last time Valtor pulled this stunt, he ran off with the Agador Box. If you go to this duel, you will be playing right into his hands."

"I know," Faragonda sighed. "Still, I risk too much if I don't. Even if Valtor has no intentions of going through with destroying Magicalis, as Griselda pointed out, the panic caused by such a threat could be equally devastating. I see little option beyond accepting the challenge."  
"It's a trap," Avalon stated confidently. "There can be no doubt about that. But the question remains. What is it he desires? The fact that he specifically challenged you three suggests an interest in the schools."  
"Or that he's gambling on people thinking he wants revenge to make this seem less like a trap," Palladium suggested.

"Also a possibility. But whatever it is, it's big."  
"We will have to up the security," DuFour said. "But with such a short notice, there's not much we can do. Without the Shield of Morgause, there's no way the barrier generator will be able to keep him out if he goes for Alfea."  
"And that is a big if, might I add," Wizgiz said. "He might be going for Cloud Tower. Or Red Fountain. Or a completely different target. We will not know until he is on the offence."

"And by then it will be far too late to take extra precautions," Avalon said, obviously not pleased. "But we have little choice. I can only assume that if Faragonda shows up with backup besides Griffin and Saladin, Valtor will probably refuse to show up. Not to mention it will leave us even weaker."

"It is an unfortunate situation he has forced us into," Griselda commented. "But then again, I suspect that was the point."

"Then we are in agreement," Faragonda sighed. "I will travel to Lake Roccaluce tomorrow, leaving the defence of the school to you all. Let us hope that will be enough." Her phone rang and she picked it up. "Hello. Ah, Saladin. Yes, I've just finished talking with my staff. I'll be accepting the challenge. Griffin has agreed too? Good. Let us hope for the best." She ended the call.

"Kinda wish the reunion of the Company of Light would have been under better circumstances," Wizgiz commented.

"So do I. Now, before this meeting is adjourned, we will need to discuss our defence strategy," Faragonda said as she folded her hands. "Any ideas?"

...

The clock was ticking. Noon was approaching. And Bloom was worried. Not only had none of them been able to find either Ophir nor the goons that had suddenly showed up. The redhead hoped that was because the dark-skinned magi had been smart enough to transform and fly away, but she was still concerned. Also weighting heavily on her mind was the fact that Faragonda was going off with Griffin and Saladin to fight Valtor. Even three against one, Bloom was concerned. Her brother had grown very powerful. Worse, she didn't doubt for a second this was all a ruse.

It was with these concerns in mind that the Dominian princess approached the headmistress, as the latter was heading for her car.

"You look concerned, Bloom," Faragonda noted. "Can I be of assistance?"  
"You know it's a trick, right?" the redhead asked. "Just like the museum."  
"Yes. Even so, if we do not accept his challenge, the fear of Valtor could very well trigger a breakout of panic." Faragonda slowly shook her head. "Even if he has no intentions of destroying Magicalis."  
"Do you think he will really be there?"  
"Something will. Unless he only needs us to be distracted for a few crucial moments." The headmistress looked contemplative for a moment. "But if that were the case, I honestly have even less of an idea of what he's trying to accomplish."  
Bloom was silent for a moment. "Shouldn't you bring the water star? Just in case he's going to show up?"

Faragonda shook her head. "I'm afraid I will not be able to do that. The star is still up in the labs."  
"Oh. If you don't mind me asking, why?"  
"Many reasons, Bloom. Firstly, we still barely understand how it's supposed to work. Such weapons cab very dangerous and I refuse to take it lightly. Secondly, there's a political aspect to it." The headmistress paused to let the redhead groan in frustration. "I'm sure that Avalon's royal classes have given you a good idea of what could happen."  
"Yes," the Dominian princess sighed. "You risk getting Calisto's government all huffy, which could result in all kinds of sanctions. And with everything that has happened this school year, your position is already rather delicate."  
"Not how I would have put it, but it does sum it up," the bemused Faragonda replied. "Bloom, it is important that I take a long term view of things. I doubt Valtor really wants a final showdown, so using our ace in the hole could be a disastrous move. Even if I knew how it worked and even if I wouldn't put the entire school at risk politically, I still wouldn't bring it. Especially because everyone involved know it is a trick or trap of some sort. There's just too much of a risk of the water star getting destroyed or stolen. Add to that the fact that there will be no way to replace it, what with only two prototypes existing and further production forbidden, and you can probably see why I've deemed taking it along the wrong move."  
"I guess," Bloom sighed. "Just... Just be careful. None of us want you ending up as a tree again."  
"Truth be told, I'm not exactly fond of the thought either. But I have my duty. Just be careful, Bloom. There is a risk that Valtor might target the school. Even with the extra protection the staff has come up with, a direct attack by him could have serious consequence."  
Bloom rubbed her chin. "Could Valtor want the water star?"

"Hmm, an interesting thought. I doubt Valtor knows of its existence. Calisto has not exactly been forthcoming with details about it." She paused. "He might have learned that we have something, though. How much he knows will determine much about how he will approach this." She shrugged. "I simply do not know. If he truly is after the water star and not something else, he will definitely target the location where he thinks it will be. But I can only guess and without more information, it's all strictly hypothetical." She unlocked her car door. "Stay safe Bloom. Hopefully I'll be back before long."

...

The noon sun glittered in the waters of Lake Roccaluce. Small insects buzzed through the flowers and birds performed symphonies from the treetops. It was a thing of beauty, though Faragonda had little time to focus on it as she strode along the lake's coast. Across the waters, she could see a throng of people gathering. Journalists, paparazzi and curious onlookers had gathered to witness the showdown. From the air, flying vessels with camera crews prepared to transmit the event.

The headmistress shook her head. She could only hope that if things went out of control, people would be smart enough to take cover.

As she neared the spot, she noticed two other shapes making their way there. Saladin and Griffin.

"So, this gives me a strong feeling of deja vu," Griffin dryly commented. "Almost feels like we've already been in this situation before."

"We have. Except this time Hagen will not be backing us up," Saladin said. "Also, Valtor will not have been drained by the ritual. In fact, he will be stronger than ever."

Griffin eyed him. "Well, at least you've still got stating the obvious down to an art. Let us hope your fighting skills are just as up to snuff."

Saladin huffed, as if slightly insulted by the suggestion that age had robbed him of his strength. "I've still got what it takes to take on a malcontent like Valtor."  
"Really now?" the sorcerer asked, as he slowly hovered down to the ground. "I think you will be surprised."  
"Valtor," Faragonda stated. "What do you hope to achieve by bringing us here?"  
"I hope to prevent any more interference with my plans," the dandy magi replied, annoyance obvious in his tone. "There's been too many to lately. Publicly humiliating you lot should be enough to convince people to stay out of my business."  
"People? Or your sister?" Griffin questioned.

The Dominian prince went silent for a moment. "I will be fighting you one at the time," he finally stated. "Weakest first. A series of duels, 'till death or surrender, whatever comes first."  
"I notice he didn't answer," the witch headmistress mumbled.

"And if we win?" Faragonda asked.

"Then you can imprison me, shoot me back to Omega or whatever else you want. You'll have stopped my plans." He smirked. "For now, at least."  
"And how exactly do we determine who's the weakest?" Saladin asked suspiciously.

"I've already made some preliminary analyses. Not perfect, but should be enough. Do you accept my terms?"  
The three members of the Company of Light looked at each other and nodded. "We do," Saladin said.

"Then let us get started," Valtor replied, before dramatically raising his arms. Thick fog enveloped the area, much to the disappointment of everyone trying to watch the unfolding events.

Faragonda looked around, trying to find the others. She took a tentative step forward, trying to scout Valtor's location. A sudden, concentrated blast of wind struck her in the back and she was launched forward. She rolled across the grass, dropping her glasses as she did.

"It's not that I don't respect your skills," Valtor said, as he strode towards her. "But Griffin has managed to hold on to her youth and Saladin has trained for these things. I'm afraid that you've simply fallen behind."  
"Maybe. But you shouldn't underestimate me," Faragonda replied and concentrated. A field of gravity suddenly surrounded the dandy sorcerer and he found himself hoisted into the air.

Griffin felt her stomach protest as Valtor suddenly forced her down again, smashing her into the ground.

"I know you," the dandy magi said as he kept his distance. "More so than the two others. Your fighting style, your spells. You couldn't defeat me when I took Cloud Tower and you won't be able to do so now."

"Knowing is only half the battle, Valtor," Griffin replied, as she got up. "You've yet to handle the other half." She conjured a strong gust of wind, ripping several branches and sticks loose from the surrounding trees. Valtor was forced back as he was pelted with the wooden pieces.

A particularly big branch struck Saladin right on the forehead and knocked him over.

"Dragon's breath, even Faragonda has managed to get a better grip on her youth," Valtor quipped. "What, was taking me down once really so hard it made you age a hundred years and shrink to the size of a leprechaun?"  
"I will not be mocked by the likes of you!" Saladin called, before gathering his magic. Two swords he had sheathed on his back came loose and flew point first at his enemy.

Faragonda barely dodged the two projectiles the dandy magi had suddenly launched.

"My, my, you're spry for somebody who looks like every grandmother ever," Valtor said. "I almost expected that roll to break you brittle old lady hip."

"If you think you can provoke me into making a mistake, you're wrong," Faragonda said, as she manipulated a huge rock to lift from the ground, before firing it at him.

"Oh, I don't know," he said, as he spun out of the way. "Let's be honest, I provoked you into getting out here. That was the real mistake on your part."

...

At Alfea, people were glued to their screens as the spectacle unfolded. Though the mist made getting an overview of the battle difficult at best, the glimpses of the carnage was enough to give an idea of the battle that raged within.

Stella was chewing on her fingernails as she starred at the cluster's television, while Techna had been chewing on the same bite of bread for eight minutes. Mirta had gone paler than usual, clinging to Flora as they tried to ascertain how their headmistress was doing. Musa was absent minded fiddling was a loose path on her clothes, while Aisha had found herself completely unable to sit still while watching. Bloom barged out from her apartment, still busy zipping her pants as she hurried over to the others. "Did I miss anything?"

Techna finally swallowed her food and replied: "Nope. Still can't see shit."

The girls stared intently at the screen.

"There!" Musa exclaimed. "I think that was Faragonda."  
"Dammit, why did he have to conjure up that mist?" Stella anxiously asked. "I can't tell what's going on."  
"One presumes that he did it to even the odds in his favour, now that he has chosen to take on three powerful opponents at once," Flora remarked.

"Come on, Faragonda, you can do it," Techna quietly cheered. "Show that overdressed fop who's the boss."  
"Was that Saladin spinning through the air?" Aisha asked. "That can't be good."  
Bloom stared at the screen. She caught a glimpse of Griffin, as the witch used a powerful wind to catch her and send her flying back into the mist. She bit her lip. Something seemed off. Part of her mind was itching, as she tried to figure out what exactly was bothering her.

Saladin was suddenly hoisted into the air, before slamming back into the mist.

It suddenly hit her. "Has anyone actually seen Valtor?"

"Not since the start of the battle. Why?" Stella asked.

"Isn't that strange? I mean, do you think he's just standing in the middle juggling all three of them?" the redhead continued.  
"No. That would be highly irregular, even if he has grown in power?" Flora agreed. "I suspect you are on to something, Bloom."

"Well, we knew something was fishy before this. But if Valtor is not there, what's going on?" Musa asked. "Are they just fighting the air?" She paused, her eyes widening. "Wait a minute, are they fighting each other?"

"With the fog, it's impossible to tell," Aisha added.

"Exactly. And the bastard's got illusions, doesn't he?" Techna asked. "I mean, he must have. Guy's got more powers by now than your average superhero team. He's probably tricked them into fighting each other. Or something."

"Again, hard to tell. But we should probably bring this concern to the attention of the staff," Flora said. "They may also have figured it out, but I would hate to be presumptive."  
"I'll handle it," Bloom said and dashed out of the common room. She hurried down the hallways of the school and dashed up a set of stairs. She paused at an intersection, leaning up against the wall to catch her breath, as she tried to remember the correct way to the teacher's lounge. "Maybe... Maybe people... Are Right," she gasped to no-one in particular. "I should... Probably... Try to get in... Better shape." Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement and looked. She barely managed to strangle a yelp and dodged around the corner to hide. She peeked again.

Valtor.

The well-dressed magi looked around speculatively, before heading in the general directions of the library.

The redhead ripped her cell-phone from her pocket, almost dropping it on the floor in the process. She hammered the numbers and pressed the call button, eyes glued to the corridor where the Dominian prince has disappeared. "Come on, pick it up, pick it up." She breathed a sigh of relief as the call went through. "Stella, it's Bloom. Listen, I don't have much time. Valtor's at the school, heading towards the library. I don't have time to get the teachers, he might be gone with whatever it is he wants by then. I need you and the girls to go to the library area, find him and delay him. I'll go get the water star." She paused. "Yes, I know that's insane. But this might be our only chance. I don't know what he wants and it doesn't matter. We can end this now, once and for all." She ended the call and hurried towards the labs.

...

Valtor entered the Alfea's library and began looking around. Like he had expected, no one was around. Probably busy watching his 'duel'. Getting into the school had been but a minor obstacle. Unweaving the extra layers of protective spells had taken very little time out of his schedule, though he had to commend the staff for trying. Now all he had to do was to either find the object or information about it. It was the vagueness of that goal that really bothered the well-dressed magi. Given the school's size and the lack of information, there was a thousand places it could be hidden. The library was his first choice. Not because he expected it to be out in the open, but because the library also contained a secured storage room, where they were storing the more dangerous books until they could be placed in the restricted library. So that was an option. He doubted it would be in the restricted library itself, since he had already managed to steal something from there. On the other hand, maybe that was what Faragonda had been counting on. It annoyed him, especially as he knew he had a limited amount of time to work with before he was discovered. Not that he doubted he could take on most people at Alfea, but the fact he suspected them of having a possibly counter to his powers laying around made him determined to be careful. He arrived at the big double doors that lead to the storage room and stopped, trying to get a feel for the magic that protected it.

"So, looking for something?" Musa asked, from somewhere behind him.

"No. Just browsing for now." He turned around to face the six fairies. "Don't you have some homework to do or some boys to talk about?"  
"Don't you have a duel to participate in?" Stella asked.

"Touché." Valtor looked them over. "Ah, I note that my sister is absent. Is Mirta here her replacement for today?"  
"I'd worry less about where Firetop is and more about us," Techna said. "So, Fancypants, what are you here for?"  
"Fancypants," the dandy magi chuckled. "Cute. Well, my business is none of your business. Now, why don't you run off? Or do I have to remind you how badly it goes whenever you get in my way? You've tried plenty of times by now, so I'd have thought the lesson would have stuck. Don't forget, none of you have Phila's immunity to my knack. And as you're currently wasting my time, I have every reason to bring you down quickly and speedily."

Musa replied to his assertion by blasting a sound-wave at him. Valtor countered by surrounding himself with a bubble of complete silence, before launching a ball of pure force. The faeries scattered as the projectile flew by, causing one of the massive bookshelves to tumble over.

Techna rose from her cover behind a table, pulling her gun as she did so. She had absolutely no clue what the school's policy on firearms were, but since she had yet to ask the teachers, at least they couldn't say they had told her she couldn't have one.

Valtor eyed her and lashed out with an arm, his magic enveloping her. She could feel her muscles stiffen as she fought to actually pull the trigger.

As the dandy magi kept his magical grip on the magenta-haired girl, he noted that Flora was jumping at him from a ladder, machete ready. He blasted another force ball at her, ripping the illusion to shreds. He blinked, before noticing that while Flora had indeed charged him, she had done so without jumping. She had also cut open his stomach with her blade.

"Huh. Kudos," the magi noted, as he healed. "Your girlfriend makes good use of her illusions. That one came so quickly, even I didn't have time to notice it was a fake."  
"I shall bring her your compliments," the brunet said, as she swung again. This time, the blade smashed against his forcefield. Flora pulled her weapon back to attack again, but suddenly found herself hoisted in the air, before being launched down the library.

"Flora!" Mirta yelled, before breaking cover and running to check up on her girlfriend.

Stella and Musa both jumped out from their covers behind a bookshelf and blasted the magi with sounds and lasers. Valtor countered by swallowing their attacks in orbs of complete silence and shadows, before enveloping the two faeries in them.

He turned around and generated a shield of force on his arm, blocking a sneak attack from Aisha. He raised his hand and grabbed her with his magic, before pulling her over. "So," he began, as he magically held the struggling princess. "I happen to know that you've brought something to Alfea. Something that..."

Several seeds exploded and the dandy magi was suddenly enveloped in long thorny branches. Flora pulled another handful of seeds for her seed-bag and hurled them at the magi. Flaring beams of light exploded from Valtor's palm, slicing through the constricting vines, turning the seeds to ash and igniting a couple of nearby books. He ripped himself free and grabbed Flora, forcing her closer. As he did, he noted several things pinging against his shield. Annoyed, he noted that Techna had gotten free while his attention was elsewhere. With a swing of his arm, he send Flora flying, crashing her into the scarred girl.

"That's enough, Valtor," Faragonda said threateningly, as she revealed herself. "Cease at once or I will..."

Valtor unleashed the force of opposition on the headmistress, turning the illusion to reality. And the reality was that only Mirta was there.

"So, done yet?" the dandy magi asked.

The redhead slowly stepped back, shaking from fear as Valtor's full attention was on her.

"Good girl," he noted, as he returned his attention to Aisha. "Now then, where was I? Ah yes, where is that object you all brought to Alfea? I'd love to take a look at it."  
"I... I have no idea what you're talking about," the dark-skinned princess stuttered.

The Dominian prince sighed. "Really now, don't think you can fool me. I happen to..."  
"VALTOR!" called Bloom, as she stepped into the hallway between the shelves. "Let my friend go."

"Ah, I was wondering if you were going to show up," the dandy magi noted. With a flick of his hand, Aisha flew back and landed hard in a pile of books that had fallen down during the struggle. "I'm afraid you missed the main event, Phila, but if you'd also like to take a shot, I suppose I can't really stop you."  
"No. You can't," Bloom said, as she felt her dragonflame ignite. She shot her hand forward, a wave of intense flames shooting towards Valtor. Her brother let his own dragonflame boost him, as he raised a barrier to block it.

The attack did not last long. As the flames disappeared, Valtor could see the ashen waste the carpet had been reduced to. And then he saw two thing. First, an object that looked very much like an alchemical grenade was arcing through the air. Secondly, Bloom had jumped into cover. As the object pinged against his shield, the Dominian prince realised too late what was going on.

The water star went off.

Even from her cover behind a bookshelf, Bloom could feel the energy unleashed by the experimental weapon. She could feel a sickening, feverish pain spreading inside her, as her dragonflame churned by the proximity to the weapon.

But from the sound of it, Valtor had it even worse. He screamed in agony as his entire body was bathed in the dampening energies. Blue light lit up the entire library.

And then it was over.

Carefully, Bloom stepped out of cover to assess the situation. Silence had spread through the ruined library.

Valtor stood hunched over, his face rapidly paling. Sweat was forming on his brow has he stumbled, before finding support in a bookshelf. He coughed and bent over even more, as cramps wrecked his stomach. He was gasping for air, fighting to remain conscious. He found his vision to be blurred and he could feel his grasp on on his ongoing spells fade.

The darkness and silence that had enveloped Musa and Stella faded.

"It's over," Bloom said with an air of finality, as she took a step towards him. "The water star has doused your dragonflame."  
A massive migraine made it hard for the dandy magi to process the information. He struggled to even stay awake. He could feel the agony grow inside him as the dragonshades within him began running amok. He had to spend all of what little magic he had left just to keep them somewhat under control. He looked up and saw Bloom approach, ready to make sure he wouldn't go anywhere. No doubt with the noise they had made, the teachers were already on their way. It would all be over soon. Unless...

Bloom expected many things from her half-brother. A last spell, an attempt to freeze her or even the Usurpers appearing. She didn't expect him to suddenly hurl a lexicon at her. The thick book collided quite suddenly with her forehead and as the redhead stumbled back, she tripped over a pile of books and fell to the floor.

Seeing an opening, Valtor used every last ounce of willpower to run.

"GET HIM!" Techna yelled, and the girls gave chase.

The Dominian prince weaved in and out of the bookshelves, trying to stay out of the way of potential spells. Pain blossomed in his body, like a slowly growing nest of vipers made out of razor wire. Tears of pain flooded his vision and it felt like an entire family of trolls where using his brain as a football. Every inch of his body burned with pain. Through the incessant buzzing that filled his ears, he could hear them closing in. He made a mad dash for freedom.

The girls tried to flank him. He was obviously hindered by the pain he was going through, but a mixture of adrenaline and desperation made the the dandy sorcerer surprisingly fast. Both Flora and Stella overtook him at the sides and took up positions to cut him off by the library's wall.

Valtor had noted them. He knew he would not get past them. So he didn't even try. As he reached the wall, he jumped, smashing shoulder first through a window. He heard the gasps as he flew out through the cloud of shattered glass. A strange sense of weightlessness filled his body as he fell two stories. And then he collided with the tiles. His shoulder was pulverised and several of his ribs cracked from the sudden impact. As he forced himself up, he knew the only reason the pain wasn't worse was that the entire left side of his body had gone numb from pain. He kept moving, staying close to the school building to avoid spells. He had landed behind the school, outside the confines of the barrier. He broke off from the building and dashed towards the woods. A couple of enlarged roots exploded from the ground, but their swipes were imprecise. One smashed his right arm, causing him to twirl around. But he refused to give up. He reached the woods and kept running, never looking back.

"Did you get him?" Techna asked.

"No. I have a hard time operating without visuals," Flora commented, as she closed her eyes in concentration. She sighed. "Sorry. He's gotten beyond my influence."  
"You tried," Mirta said comfortingly, patting her on the shoulder.

That's when the girls heard a ton of noise and turned around to see the staff stumble into the room.

"What... Happened... To my... Library?" Barbatea asked in complete shock, as she looked around.

"Ehm... It's a bit of a long story," Bloom said. "But I've got good news. I'm pretty sure the water star worked."

Avalon stared at her. Then he sighed. "Alright. Let's go to the office and hear your story."

A jaunty tune suddenly rang out and Wizgiz grabbed his phone. "Hello. Ah, Miss Faragonda. The duel is over? Ah, yes, we figured that was the case. What? Yes, it would appear that he did so. Bloom and her friends discovered him, of course. And used the water star to boot." He paused. "She's sighing," he noted.

"I don't blame her," Griselda dryly commented.

...

"And then Flora tried to use her plant powers to grab him, but since she couldn't see him, it didn't, like, work out at all," Stella finished.

Griffin, Faragonda and Saladin had all gathered in the main office at Alfea, all three of them looking somewhat bruised and beaten, though sharp as always.

"So, is it over?" Saladin asked.

"No. Valtor is not the type to quit," Griffin noted. "Though this stunt will no doubt have made him angry. And even without his flame, he still possess a considerable number of dragonshades, some of which are quite potent."

"Figures," the warlock replied.

"Did we... Do the right thing?" Bloom asked. "It was very spur of the moment, but I knew we might never get an opportunity like that again."  
Faragonda was silent for a moment. "I'd say you took a very large risk," she said. "And there will probably be fallout, though aimed at you rather thab the school. There will be consequences, but as far as I'm concerned, you all did your very best. Was it the right thing to do?" She shrugged. "I don't know. It is hard to say. You endangered yourself, but for a good cause and with an actual thought through plan, even if it was spontaneous. You made the best of a bad situation I'd say. And that in of itself is an accomplishment."

"Valtor may not be done for yet," Griffin said. "But what you've done today has probably been the biggest blow to his plans. Unless he can find a very competent dragonflame user, he will not be able to recover."  
"If the water star works as it should," Saladin interjected. "Remember, the analysis was never finished."  
"True, I suppose."

"There's nothing left to do now than contact the press and tell them what happened," Faragonda said. "With Valtor thus weakened, we might be able to finally convince the realms to invest resources in his capture. But I will handle that part myself. You have all earned a break. You can go now, girls."

"Excellent," Techna said, as the seven faeries left. "So, what do you all say we call up the boys and arrange another night out? Last one didn't end that well and we've got something to celebrate today."

"You know what? I could actually use a nice trip like that," Bloom agreed, as they closed the doors behind them.

"Well, this has been a stressful day," the fairy headmistress noted. "I must admit, I was starting to suspect that something was up when Valtor didn't use his flesh knack on me."

"That was kinda suspicious," Griffin agreed. "Still, not enough to go on to actually stop. You know he can be tricky like that."  
"I just hope I don't have to deal with any more journalists," Saladin huffed. "They swarmed us like vultures at a battlefield the moment the mist was gone. As if the first thing I need after engaging in mortal combat is for some uncouth whelp from a TV-studio to shove his camera up my nostril. No manners at all."

"Well, good thing Bloom managed to stop Valtor when she did," Griffin noted with a smirk. "It would have been such a shame if the whole multiverse had seen me creaming the two of you on live TV."  
"I beg your pardon," Saladin grumpily replied. "I think it was quite obvious that I had forced the two of you on the defence."  
"Would the two of you please stop," Faragonda groaned, as she buried her head in her arms.

...

The next night at the Neon Lounge, the girls had spread out much like they had done the last time. Aisha still sat at a table, drinking a fizzy drink. Sky had been nice enough to point out the one Ophir had bought last time.

"Hey," came a soft voice and a jolt went through the princess of Tides, almost causing her to drop her drink.

She looked up and said: "Ophir? Geez, you scared me."  
"Heh. Sorry 'bout that," the dark-skinned magi said. "Mind if I take a seat?"

"Not at all." The brunette paused as he sat down. "Where have you been? We were so worried about you. Who were those people that chased you?"  
"Yeah, about that..." He sighed. "This probably doesn't come as a surprise, but I've been keeping a couple of things secret."

"Well, at least you've always been honest about that." She paused. "You're not really a criminal or something right? Because that was Musa's guess."  
Ophir chuckled. "Nope. Though my parents might disagree. See, those goons." He pointed and Aisha noted they were in the club, keeping a sharp eye on the dark-skinned magi. "They serve my parents. They're here because I decided to vanish into thin air and run away from home." He paused. "Temporarily, of course, though I should probably have told them."  
"When did you run away from home?" Aisha inquired.  
"Some months ago. Hey, I'm an adult. I can go where I want." He paused. "Or at least I should. I suppose that is something I have in common with birds. I want to be free. See, much like you, I'm the victim of an arranged marriage. To a girl I don't even know. So, I decided I needed to get out there and meet her, figure out who she was. Because I've met my fair share of royals and let me tell you, some of them..." He made a grimace. "Not exactly what I'd call life partner material, if you catch my drift."

"Oh. Well, I suppose that does explain your mysterious coming and goings," Aisha noted. "So, did you find her?"  
"I did. Not as bad as I feared, if I have to be honest." He shrugged. "Still a lot to learn, but at least willing to improve."

"Oh. So are you going to marry her?"  
"Your curious today, aren't you," Ophir chuckled.

"Well... It's just like you pointed out. I have my own arranged marriage," Aisha replied. "And... I hoped that maybe if I knew what you were going to do, maybe I would know what I should do about mine."  
"Fair enough. So far, I wouldn't say I've fallen for her. But I guess I could accept a marriage on the right premises. She seems sensible enough and I hope we will be able to talk about this thing like adults. Of course, I'll need her input about this before I make any decisions." He paused. "On that note, I'll also admit that I have been using a false name, to help with the whole going undercover thing." He cleared his throat. "Hello, I'm Nabu Sarpanit, your future husband. Nice to finally meet you."

Aisha froze, the glass slipping from her fingers and crashing on the floor.

Nabu winced. "Well, that could have gone better. But also a lot worse," he noted. "Look, if you want me to go away now, I understand. But I just wanted to tell you the truth." He glowered at the security. "Especially because those thugs over there have orders to drag me back home right now. Well, at least they were nice enough to wait until I'd talked with you. So I'm afraid that I'll be leaving soon."  
"Will I... See you again?" Aisha asked. "I mean, before our wedding."  
"Well, as I said, there's a whole lot of things we need to discuss before I agree to this whole wedding thing," Nabu said, as he got up. "But we can take care of that in due time. For now, I'll have to go home before my parents send an entire special ops force to pick me up." He smirked. "But don't worry. I've had a lot of fun with you and your friends. So I'll be back eventually." He bowed, before joining up with the security and leaving the dance club.

Aisha sat and stared at the spot in the crowd where he had vanished.

"Was that Ophir?" Stella asked, as she and Brandon walked over to her. "Was he okay?"  
"Turns out his name is Nabu. He's the guy my parents want me to marry," Aisha noted. "I'm so confused right now."


	24. Fallout

Chapter 24: Fallout

With a slight clanking of metal, Bloom replaced Kiko's water bottle. Satisfied that the guinea pig's cage was once again clean and well supplied, she turned around to pick up the diminutive pet, who was currently crawling around on her bed. "Come on, Kiko. It's time for you to go back," she said, as she picked him up and gently caressed him. He purred happily, before quickly crawling into the cage. Bloom closed the hatch behind him, yawned and checked the clock. "And I better go to bed now," she murmured sleepily. "Got classes tomorrow."

She took her clothes off, slipped into her bed and was completely asleep not long after.

Until a bright flaring light cut through the darkness.

"Ah, hey Daphne," the redhead greeted her ghostly sister. "Good to see you again."

"Likewise," the spectre replied. She paused for a moment, as her shimmering form flickered for a moment.

"You okay?"  
"Yes. I'm just getting a bit… Tired," the ghost replied. "Things have been so very busy as of late." She looked contemplative for a moment. "For all of us. Bloom, the reason I've come to visit is that I felt a disturbance coming from the school. Something that felt utterly antithetical to my dragonflame."

Bloom blinked, despite it being rather unnecessary inside a dream. "Wow. You're really good at this, sensing that all the way from Lake Roccaluce."

"Thanks. But I am aided by my status as a creature composed almost purely of magical energy," Daphne admitted. "Anyway, I presume that this was an attempt at stopping Valtor?"

"It was. Somewhat successful even," Bloom replied. "We managed to get a water star. An anti-dragonflame weapon made by Calisto."

"How curious. I believed that such weaponry had been forbidden by a summit," Daphne commented.

"Well, they were forbidden from researching or constructing them. Not from just having them in storage."

The ghost looked thoughtful for a second. "Clever. You said it was somewhat successful?"

"It did douse his flame, but he still barely managed to get away," the Dominian princess elaborated. "So he's still out there." She took a moment to consider things. "Why not just go visit him yourself? You can do that as long as he has your mask after all."

"Normally I would, but I just don't have the energy for visits these days." The ghost looked sad for a moment. "I'm tired all the time, Bloom. I've spent so much energy these last couple of years and it's catching up to me. Visiting you in your dream was much easier. I tried to do the same with our brother, but found myself unable to sense him. Now I know it's because his flame, which I used to navigate by, is almost non-existent." She paused. "I hope you understand, Bloom, that it's not over yet. Much like you, Valtor is stubborn and will do all in his power to regain his lost flame. If such a thing is indeed possible."

"Doesn't that man know when to quit?" the Dominion princess sighed.

"Do you?"

The redhead paused for a second. "Alright, so maybe I don't always know when to quit. Anyway, so what can I do now? Unless you plan on telling me where he is, there's not much I can do."

"I hope that maybe now I can make him see reason," Daphne stated.

"You think he'll do that?"

"I honestly do not. But like everyone else in this family, I too am very boneheaded," the undead nymph admitted. "I must make him see reason. While I do not expect it, I hope this blow to his plans has put him in a more contemplative and receptive mood." Her expression darkened. "My fear is that desperation and anger will seize him once again. It might just override his better judgement and cause him to do something we'll all regret. Do not forget that even without his dragonflame, he is still a capable sorcerer and that he is still in possession of a significant artefact, which contains dozens of dragonshades. Do not underestimate him."

"Hopefully you can talk reason with him, whenever you get the chance to talk with him again," Bloom said. She waited in silence for a moment, before sighing and asking: "And what happens once this is all over? Once he has been captured and such. You say you want to redeem him and help him improve, but that does not erase all the things he has done to people".

"Of that, I am painfully aware of," Daphne said sadly. "And I also acknowledge that at most, I will exist to see him start on that path. I will not be there to see him complete it." She paused. "Bloom, if my hopes are realised, if our brother does indeed give up this poisonous path he is treading and if I have faded by then, please give him a chance. I know he has hurt you, but give him a chance to show you the man that he used to be. I will not be there and he will need the support. Of that I am sure."  
"I can't promise that," Bloom sighed. "I know you care for him, but I've only ever known him as this tyrant sorcerer who stomps on others to get what he wants." She paused, before admitting: "Even if I can kinda understand why he became like that."  
"I can respect that. But please give him a chance, at the very least," Daphne pleaded. "I am not saying that the two of you should become like family, but at least allow him to prove that he can be a better man."  
The redhead was silent for a long time. "I will try."

"Thank you, Bloom."

...

The next day started out pretty normal for the Domian princess. She got out of bed, had breakfast and attended the day's first lesson. It was after that things stopped being normal, as Bloom was called to the headmistress' office, along with Stella, Musa, Techna, Flora and Aisha.

"Good morning to all of you," Faragonda greeted them as they entered. "I'll just get down to business immediately, as it is a rather important one. Calisto's government did not take the use of the water star well I'm afraid. They have accused you all, as well as your parents, Stella, of exposing and misusing state secrets, which has damaged Calisto's reputation and diplomatic capabilities."

"How did we misuse it?" Techna asked confused. "Wasn't it meant to be used against crazy dragonflame users?"

"Yes, but, like, now their use of loopholes has kinda been exposed," Stella said. "Probably tots scared that the other realms will demand a renegotiation of the summit, in order to force Calisto to destroy any other such weaponry they have lying around."

"Why? It turned out to be a good thing," Musa insited. "Who knows what other things that lunatic would have pulled had we not done that?"

"It is more about the principle of things," Aisha explained. "See, on the summit it was decided that nothing good could come of researching or producing such tools, with the spirit of the ruling being that such things should not even exist. Calisto dodged the spirit of the law by using a loophole. Now that that fact has become public, some political leaders might be tempted to, if not punish Calisto, at least force them to not only reveal how many more such projects they have stored away. Possibly even requiring them to destroy them."

"But something good did come of it," Musa protested.

"That fact is irrelevant in this case. Those realms who did destroy such projects might consider it unfair that Calisto has several of them in storage, or fear that the realm will someday use it against them."  
"I hate politics."

"It is a rather messy situation," Faragonda sighed. "The Roccalucian Order has been called to precede over the case and act as neutral judges, so three days from now, you must go to their headquarters near Lake Roccaluce. Over the next couple of days, you will all participate in a number of hearings before a final sentence is meted out. I will of course assist you all as much as possible."

"And my parents have been called in too," Stella commented. "Great. Everything they tried to avoid is happening."

"There is little that can be done about that at this juncture," Flora said. "I suggest instead we use the days we have to research the laws governing the subject. We will stand much stronger if we have a basic idea of what will be happening. Also, if we can discover any previous cases with similar themes and study the precedents, we will save ourselves much time at the hearing itself."  
"Probably a good idea," Bloom said. "What about lawyers and such? I'm not sure how that works around here."

"Didn't Avalon cover that in his special princess classes?" Musa asked a bit surprised.

"He covered courts in Domino, not Magix," the redhead replied.

"The Roccalucian Order will appoint attorneys to both groups. So that is not something you will have to be concerned about," Faragonda assured them. "If you need a couple of days off to do this research, I will grant it. In fact, I will go as far as to recommend it."

"If even Granny here suggests we skip some days at school, I suggest we listen," Techna commented.

"Spectacular, just what my grade needs. Less school days," Stella moaned.

...

A couple of days later, the girls were driven to the Roccalucian headquarters by Faragonda. They had all done their best to prepare themselves, though as Bloom sat in the backseat, she didn't feel prepared at all. As she allowed her gaze to wander, she got the feeling that neither did her friends. Flora looked stoic as always, though had honestly admitted that one could never be fully prepared for something like this. Musa and Aisha had both fallen silent for most of the trip, contemplative looks on their faces, as they no doubt mentally went through everything they had dug up. In sharp contrast, both Stella and Techna were constantly yapping about a truly random assortment of topics, probably in an attempt at blowing off steam.

The redhead sighed and looked down at herself. She was dressed in the most simple and formal clothes she could find. She had also thought about styling her hair to fit more in her role as the up and coming heir of the Dominian throne, but after taking one look at the terrifying mess that was classical Dominian noble hairstyles, she had decided to just go with her usual getup.

The car came to a halt on the parking lot and the girls made their way out. In front of them lay the awe-inspiring structure that was the Roccalucian headquarters. Massive and white, with pillars and adornments that made Bloom think of some enchanted Greek temple crossed with a modern embassy. Something like the White House by way of the Acropolis.

"Any last minute tips, Granny?" Techna inquired.

"Yes. Don't laugh," Faragonda replied. "Trust me, that is going to be much harder than you might think."

They entered the main hall, a large spacious room. People in a variety of colours and uniforms crossed through from doors and hallways on either side. In the middle was a large, round wooden desk, behind which a trio of secretaries took phone calls, directed visitors and typed away on their computers.

After spending three minutes in a line, an elven secretary addressed them with: "Hello. What can I do for you?"

"I am Emanuela Faragonda, headmistress of Alfea. I have been called in as a witness," the fairy headmistress stated. "And I've brought my ward, Dominian Princess Bloom Peterson and her friends, Princess Stella Guildenstern of Solaria, Princess Aisha Hadith of Tides, Noble of Limphea Flora Canto, Musa Xenophon and Pollyanna 'Techna' Clearwater." The headmistress finished by taking a deep breath to replace the spent oxygen.

"If the rest of us get a couple of titles, a full recitation might just be able to kill somebody via asphyxiation," Musa commented.

"Ah, yes, I'll notify your appointed attorney immediately. Please take a seat." He gestured to the rows of comfortable, green chairs along one of the walls.

"Thanks. Have a nice day," Faragonda said, as they left the desk.

"So far, so good," Stella said relieved, as the group settled into the green cushions. "I wonder if my parents have arrived yet."

"Maybe. Depends on when they heard about the case," Aisha noted. "It's not like they can just drop everything and just to come here. Unless they were prepared, they would have to first make sure the kingdom could run without them."

"Well, I did warn them that Bloom had used the water star. Dad kinda did mention that this could happen," Stella said. "So I don't think it came as the biggest of suprises."

"Ah, Princess Bloom. You have arrived." Bloom tore her attention from her friends and noticed a massive hat coming towards them, followed by her noticing the small, stern looking man underneath. "I am Gosta Dirk, representative of the Republic of Calisto. It is I who, alongside the prosecutor appointed by the Roccalucian Order, will be defending our government's interest, which you have flagrantly put at risk by..."

Bloom tried to pay attention, but found herself constantly distracted by the hat. It looked like a water pump had a child with a fire hydrant. She couldn't even begin to imagine how heavy it was. And given the straps that secured it to Gosta's neck, she imagined that the thing was also quite unwieldy. Why anyone would go out in public with such a cumbersome headdress was beyond her. A glimpse at her friends revealed that both Musa and Techna were obviously fighting not to laugh at the ridiculous hat.

"...which was an clear violation of our vested interest in the object, a threat to our diplomatic relations and, of course, a unauthorized waste of our resources," the representative droned. "That being said, we stand ready to accept an admission of guilt from you and all other affiliated parties before the case even starts. If you agree to repay the two and a half billion nummi we have demanded in compensation for our losses, we can skip the entirety of this very much unnecessary judicial circus act."

The Dominian princess blinked, her attention now fully on Gosta. "Two-two and a half billion? We're supposed to pay you two and a half billion?" She hoped that the man had just misspoken due to the straps restricting the flow of blood to his brain.

"Each," the representative clarified. "Do remember that the water star was a one of a kind artefact which we cannot reproduce under current circumstances. Furthermore, the damage to our reputation and the revelation of some of our state secrets are hard to quantify in terms of lost capital, but we have made our estimates. And trust me, when we win this case, you risk having to pay much more. So I suggest you settle for the lesser evil."  
"Mr. Dirk, you should be well aware that most of us who are affiliated with this will be unable to pay such a ludicrous amount," Flora stated, a tinge of harshness in her voice. "Of all of us, only Stella, Aisha and Bloom have a realistic chance, due to their positions as royalty."

"We have already made a plan for monthly payments," the representative countered. "There will of course be interests due to how long we will no doubt have to wait."  
"Yo, I dunno know about you, Hatman, but I don't exactly earn a lot," Techna said annoyed. "I'm probably going to be shackled to your country's bank account for the rest of my life if I agree to your crappy deal. Which, given that I'm a fairy, could be a really fucking long time."

"Much like the water star is gone forever, which is obviously a very long time," the representative replied unsympathetically. "Well, what is your answer?"

Bloom was silent for a while. "I'll see you in court," she replied, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Likewise. Your demands are unreasonable and unfair, especially considering the case's circumstances," Flora stated.

Gosta looked the rest of the girls over, finding nothing but defiance. "Fine then. But you have only made the situation worse." He turned around and marched off.

Stella looked to the side, noticing that Faragonda had closed her eyes, taking the occasional deep breath. "Trying not to laugh?"  
"Trying not to launch him out of a window," the headmistress replied. "Or go raiding the Order's kitchen for tea. This sort of attitude is unfortunately common among realms. Always putting their own interests first rather than even attempting to see the big picture. But I think this attempt at intimidation is a sign that Calisto's government realises that they do not have as solid a claim as they would like you to think." She paused briefly as she scanned the crowd. "Ah, now that is much nicer company."

Making their way through the hall were two people. One was King Radius, the other a woman in blue clothes with long, flowing platinum-blonde hair.

"Mom. Dad," Stella said excitedly, as she jumped out of her chair. "It's tots nice to see you both again."  
"It's good to see you too," Radius replied. "So, I saw you just met Gosta Dirk. Let me guess, he wanted you to cough up a lot of money?"  
"Yeah. Two and a half billion nummi each," Musa said. "Guy's completely out of his mind if he thinks that's reasonable."  
"Ah, they lowered it with half a billion," the woman noted. "I think they're starting to get desperate."

"Understandable. The harm done to Valtor's operations weight quite heavily, which will no doubt affect the proceedings," Radius noted.

Stella turned to the others. "Everyone, this is my mother, Queen Luna Guildenstern." The platinum-blonde gently bowed.

"We've also brought our defender," Radius said and turned, gesturing to a leprechaun in golden clothes. "Mr. Shostakovich here has been appointed as our collective defence attorney."

"A pleasure," the attorney said. "Now, have you prepared any material for the case?"

"Indeed," Flora said, pulling out a large stack of papers from her bag. "Based on our preliminary research, we believe we have quite the solid case."  
"Good. Your groundwork should help cut down on how much paperwork we need to do," the attorney said approvingly. "Which means we can move on to preparing your actual defence much quicker. Now, follow me. I'd like to set up a series of interviews with each of you regarding the case."

...

Darcy dipped the cloth in the cold water and pressed it against Valtor's brow. The usually dandy magi had more or less been out of commission for several days, his mind stumbling in and out of consciousness at random. The dirty-blonde had found him not far from their hideout while scouting, the sorcerer stumbling through the woods through nothing but sheer force of will. After getting him inside he only barely managed to transfer all of his dragonshades into the Agador Box before fainting. The three witches had to patch an explanation together from the snippets of information the sorcerer was able to give in his few moments of brief lucidity. The loss of his dragonflame had wrecked great havoc on his body. Not only had he relied heavily on it to keep himself in peak physical condition, without it the dragonshades quickly overwhelmed him and began tearing him apart from the inside. This was not at all helped by the damage he had taken while fleeing from Alfea. It was quite fortunate that his knack still worked, albeit at a vastly slower rate. Otherwise, he would probably have died without immediate and intensive medical care.

Darcy looked up from Valtor as she noted Stormy entering the room. "Yes?"

"I've been thinking," the wild-haired witch began. "About maybe... That maybe there's some way we can help him."

"Unfortunately, we lack information," Darcy replied. "Without knowing more about what caused this, well, we won't be able to do anything."

"I know. But... Well, I managed to nick a newspaper," Stormy said. "Snapped it with a powerful gust of wind. The news of what happened at Alfea are spreading. As are the details of what they used to do it."

"Huh. Fascinating." Darcy's brows furrowed. "Continue."  
"Well, they say that they used something called a water star. Made by the republic of Calisto. And said republic has dragged Bloom and her friends to court for that. So I figured, you know, maybe they've brought some information along. I mean, if they have to prove that what she used was valuable, unique or something like that. So they must have some data on it."  
"True. The technical details about the water star would be a powerful piece of evidence," Darcy agreed. "I'm starting to see where you're going with this. So where exactly is this trial going to being held?"

"Well, that the worrisome part," Stormy replied. "The headquarters of the Roccalucian Order, since they're presiding over the case."

Darcy bit her lip as she started thinking. "Could be problematic to say the least. Especially with Valtor himself out of commission."

"But we have to try," Stormy insisted. "He has helped us so much. We owe him to at least try to help him."  
"Why?" Icy asked, as she entered the room. "We don't even know if that data is there. And even if it is, it might not be reversible. We should just grab the box and move on before they come across this place."  
"I like to at least think I'm better than that kinda of behaviour," Stormy commented.

"No doubt the place will be guarded, but with such a trial ongoing, security would probably be more focused on guarding the important guests and witnesses," Darcy continued thoughtfully. "And all evidence will probably be uploaded to the place's internal systems. So if we can create a large enough distraction and avoid getting close to the people being protected, we might be able to pull it off." She seemed deep in thought. "Icy, with your powers, you could probably use the waters of Lake Roccaluce against them. That should be quite the attention grabber. And Stormy, you still have that ritual Valtor gave you, right? I think I can put some of the things I've learned from Darkar and Valtor to good use here."

"Listen, I see no reason why we need to risk ourselves helping Bloom's bRURK," Icy coughed, as Stormy suddenly grabbed her collar.

"Listen, you hate Bloom. I get it. We all fucking get it," she angrily hissed. "But if you plan on ditching Valtor just because of her, so help me, friend or not, I swear I will make you fucking regret it."

"Alright, I get it," the white-haired witch hoarsely said, as she pried herself loose from Stormy's grip. "We'll try to save your boyfriend."  
"Not boyfriend," Maria mumbled, as she eyed the sorcerer's comatose form. "Just a very good friend."

...

Whenever Bloom saw court cases depicted in fiction, it was always dramatic. Last minute reveals, hilarious antics, touching moments and people yelling 'objection' at each other. She had always acknowledged that real life was probably not as exciting. However, after spending four days participating in hearings, interrogations, being called to witness, being cross examined and spending hours listening to experts list technical aspects of the case with all the emotional intensity of a piece of lint, she had to conclude that going to court was boring. The closest thing to fun was when Ben the Justice Man was called in as a character witness to testify that neither Bloom nor Flora were the types to make frivolous decisions.

Other than that, it had been one long drawn out bore and the Dominion princess had to admit that a small part of her was tempted to shell out the two and a half billion nummi just to finally be done with the case. Not a very smart part of her, but she had to admit that it was there. So it was with immense relief that they finally came to the conclusion.

"We find that the retrieval of the water star happened due to poor communications from Calisto's side," the jury began. "It is obvious from these records that they should have been clear and concise in their message, rather than dragging their feet. We also find that, given the circumstances, Princess Bloom Peterson of Domino was in the right to use the water star against Valtor. We find that she acted in the best interests of herself and everyone else. Therefore, we conclude that all of the accused are innocent and that Calisto has no right to demand any compensation."

The redhead glanced at Dirk. It was probably impossible for him to frown any harder, unless he hooked that oversized headgear of his to the sides of his mouth. The mental image forced the redhead to suppress a giggle.

"In that case, court is adjourned," the judge stated loudly. "Case closed."

"Finally," Techna groaned, leaning back in her chair. "Dragon's flaming breath, I am so not going to make a habit out of going to court."

"It would be a shame to call such proceedings stimulating, but that is a necessary design in order to create a professional atmosphere," Flora stated. She turned her head. "Ah, it looks like Mr. Dirk wishes to talk with us."

"Probably to be a sore loser," Musa grumbled.

"Princess Bloom, I hope you understand that while the Republic of Calisto will respect the court's decision, we will not forget your actions," the hat-wearing representative gravely informed her. "Your refusal to take responsibility for your actions will have consequences for your realm in the future."  
"Somebody pick up the phone, 'cause Cacophony frickin' called it," Techna exclaimed, much to the representative's confusion.

"Mr. Dirk, I believe everything that needed to be said was said during the previous days," Flora coldly informed him. "So I suggest you cease your thuggish threatening and move along. Your blustering is quite unbecoming for a man of your position."

"Not to mention that your threats are quite empty," Aisha added. "Calisto can ill afford to spurn Tides, Solaria, Domino and Limphea all at once. And I am quite certain that you are well aware of that face."  
Gosta's face became a noticeable shade of red as his temper boiled, before he turned around and stomped off.

"Sick burns," Stella commented approvingly.

"Burns?" Aisha asked.

"She meant that you delivered some heavy zingers," Techna elaborated. Seeing Aisha's nonplussed expression, she tried with: "You know, your jabs cut deep."

"They mean that you and Flora managed to hurt him with well chosen words," Musa groaned annoyed. "There, now can we move away from this deflated comedy sketch?"

Suddenly the entire building shook.

"I think you just got your wish," Flora commented.

"Everyone, remain calm," a guard said as he entered the room. "You will be escorted to the panic room and be protected there. Please, follow me in an orderly manner and we will get you all to the panic room in no time."

"Panic rooms?" Bloom asked, turning to the others.  
"Oh, this is going to be fun," Stella moaned.

...

The front wall of the building exploded in a shower of dust and debris, as one of the giant ice golems forced it way in. A large chunk of rock obliterated the desk where only minutes before a secretary had been taking phone calls. Several Roccalucian soldiers opened fire at the invading construct, bullets and magic chipping away at its frozen surface. A grenade detonated against its arm, breaking the limb off and sending it crashing against the ground.

As it did, the other ice golem barged through another wall, crushing several office cubicles in the process.

"THIS IS CAPTAIN HIRO! WE'VE ENGAGED THE ATTACKERS IN THE LOBBY! SEND REINFORCEMENTS!" the commander named Hiro yelled into his earpiece. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY STORM IMPS?!"

On another side of the building, two squads were currently exchanging shots with several dozens of storm imps that were barging in through the windows.

"I MEAN WE'RE FUCKING PINNED DOWN OVER HERE!" the captain yelled, before she flung a spell at one of the imps. "AND EVERYBODY ELSE IS GUARDING THE V.I.P,S! I'M AFRAID YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN FOR NOW!"

As the battle raged on, nobody noticed the shadow sneaking into the building. It slithered behind the lines of fighting soldiers and went deeper into the headquarters. After hiding in a dark and quiet corner of the building for a few minutes, Darcy resumed her human form. She wasted no time jumping into a seat and booting up one of the computers. Quickly, she inserted her password cracker. No doubt the intrusion would be noted rather quickly, but the plan was a lot more smash and grab than subtle infiltration anyway. As soon as she was in, she started to look up and download any info on the case involving the water star.

A guard ran by the office door, skidding to a halt as he suddenly noticed the dirty-blond. "Hey, who..."

Without even looking up, Darcy blasted a ball of darkfire at him, which the guard barely avoided. The cursed fire quickly consumed the doorway, making entry nigh impossible.

"This is Gordon. It's the Usurpers," she heard him blare into his headset. "One of them has hacked into the computer. Shut the system down."

"Too late," Darcy mumbled to herself, as the last file finished downloading. She unplugged her equipment, turned into a shadow and quickly seeped into a ventilation duct.

Not far from said office lay the panic room, where currently most workers and visitors were kept.

"Great. More waiting," Techna grumbled.

"It is for our own protection," Flora noted. "We are not supposed to charge off to take on such tasks ourselves, after all."

"And yet the universe constantly seems to conspire to put us in situations where we have to," Musa noted.

"Oh, did the universe stuff you into that box back on Limphea?" the brunette asked, a hint of sharpness in her tone.

"Ehm... Well, I suppose not."

Suddenly, the constant rumbling died.

"Huh," Aisha noted. "It got quiet."  
"Doesn't mean it's safe yet," Bloom said. "So who's actually stupid enough to attack the Roccalucian Order's headquarters?"

"Your brother is an obvious candidate. It wouldn't even be the first time he pulled that stunt," Stella noted.

"Alright, listen up," one of the guards that were down with them said. "It would seem the hostile forces have been taken care off. However, due to security concerns, we're going to have to keep you down here for the next hour or so, while our security teams sweep the building. In the meantime, we can offer you both snacks and drinks while you wait."

"Great," Techna groaned. "Even more waiting."  
"At least there are sandwiches," Stella said with a shrug.

"'Spose that's something."

...

All was silent back in the almost abandoned troglodyte city. Stormy was nursing a bandaged arm. A bullet had hit her as she and Icy attempted to pull back. But they had done it. They had the info.

Which was currently flickering across the screen as Valtor went through it, the three witches silently watching him. He had visible bags under his slightly bloodshot eyes, his hair was an unkempt mess and his entire left side was one giant bruise. It was quite weird to see the usually spotless sorcerer in such a dishevelled state. But by far the most disconcerting change had been the look in his eyes as he had finally woken up and gathered himself enough to assess the situation. Something had changed inside him. Something that shone with intense brightness.

Valtor was utterly and completely furious.

"So," he slowly began, his voice slightly raspy. "The effect of the water star can be reversed. How very fortuitous."  
"Thank the dragon for that," Stormy sighed relieved. "How?"

"Another dragonflame can, if sufficiently powerful, undo the dousing." He rubbed his chin. "Sadly, even if they were to be combined combined, the small sparks Darkar gave you would not be enough. I need one much more powerful than that."  
"Bloom," Icy immediately said.

"Yes. Phila." He slowly got up from his chair. "And once again everything centres around her. How... _Frustrating_." His gloves creaked as he curled his hands into balls. "But I have an idea. I will make Phila undo this curse."

"How?" Darcy inquired. "The two of you don't have the most... Well, amicable of sibling relationships."

An unpleasant smirk manifested on the haggard sorcerer's face. "I have an idea." He slowly moved over to the table on which the Agador Box stood. "When I infiltrated the Roccalucian Headquarters in order to get the info on Daphne, I took the opportunity to pilfer the dragonshade from an artefact in their vault. I immediately sensed its potential, which is why I not only stole it, but also refrained from using it until now."

"Right. The proverbial ace up your sleeve," Darcy noted. "But will that even work without your dragonflame?"

"Oh, it will. See, the Agador Box is a potent tool in rituals. As long as I have it, I can still utilize the dragonshades held within it." His fingers drummed on its ambers surface, as one of the dragonshades pulsated with power. "And once I've unleashed its power, Phila will come running and offer to undo my curse all on her own."

"And what was that artefact?" Icy inquired excitedly.

Valtor turned towards them, determination blazing in his eyes. "The Staff of Four Elements."


	25. Elemental Chaos

Chapter 25: Elemental Chaos

Bloom tapped her fingers against the wooden desk in Faragonda's office, as she absorbed the information she had been given. "So it really was Valtor," she finally stated.

"That does seem to be the case, yes," Faragonda confirmed. After having returned to the school, the headmistress had promised Bloom to inform her about what had happened at the Roccalucian headquarters as soon as she knew anything. So after getting in contact with some people she knew, she had called the redhead up to her office the following afternoon. "Of course, nobody saw Valtor at the scene itself, but given what the water star did to him, he'd have to be very careful. But the presence of the Usurpers does indicate that he had a hand in the events."

"Daphne was right," the Dominian princess sighed. "It's not over yet."  
"You've been talking with Daphne recently?"  
"Only once, actually. She hasn't been very communicative as of late. Says she's very tired." The redhead paused for a moment. "Emanuela, Daphne still believes that Valtor can be redeemed. That he can change. I'm not so certain, even if I do feel sorry for what happened to both of them. What do you think?"

"Hard to say, if I have to be honest. I knew their birth parents somewhat and we had our disagreements about many things. In truth, I got along with your birth mother a lot better. But I never knew Valtor before he joined the Coven, so I have little idea." The headmistress was quiet for a moment. "But here's the thing to keep in mind, Bloom. Guinevere was also part of the Coven once. She even worked with Valtor. And she managed to cast off that dark chapter of her past. I'd trust her with my life. And she certainly didn't want Valtor to be sent to Omega back in the day. Neither did I. I believed that he should at least have a chance to redeem himself, but he never got it. So while I cannot say if he will ever redeem himself, I've always believed people should at least be given the opportunity to try. But the only way people can change, the only way Valtor can truly step away from this cruel path, is if he wants to. He must want to change or else everything we do will be for naught."

"But how do you make someone so set in his ways want to change?" Bloom questioned. "How do you make them see what they're doing is wrong?"

"How indeed. If there was an easy answer to that question, the multiverse would look quite different," Faragonda responded. "For now, the best we can do is focus on stopping him. I doubt he will have a sudden change of heart in the middle of all this."

"Yeah, Daphne did not think so either. And what with the attack on the Roccalucian headquarters, I can only assume he's up to something. Did they figure out what the Usurpers managed to take from there, if anything?"

"They said they were currently doing a full investigation, which was the polite way of telling me to mind my own business," Faragonda replied. "Not that I blame them. The Order has access to valuable data and powerful artefacts. Rumours of Valtor having gotten his hand on something like that might spur some people into making rash decisions in an attempt to secure it for themselves. And what we don't need right now is rash decisions."

"No. If what Daphne fears comes true, we're going to see enough of those from Valtor," Bloom stated. "She's concerned that he might become desperate now that he's without his dragonflame."

"I can understand why she would be. The flame was one of Valtor's most potent weapons. It allowed him to regenerate from mortal wounds in mere seconds, turn people into his personal slaves and control dozens of dragonshades at once." The headmistress was quiet for a second. "Without it, his power has waned a lot. But as I warned the realms, that does not mean we should underestimate him. Some seemed to think that he would be harmless now, but he is still a capable magi and he still has the Agador Box."

"So it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better," Bloom stated despondently. "Like it always does."

"Hopefully your next school year will be much calmer."  
"Yeah, so I've been telling myself for the last three years," the redhead commented. "And yet things always keep getting worse. I haven't even been able to visit my parents or my friends from Earth this year. I'm lucky I have that magic phone or else I would probably have gone completely crazy at this point."

"It is an unfortunate situation, I agree," Faragonda said. "But for now, that's how it will have to be. Now, was there anything else on your mind?"

"No. But thanks for the talk," Bloom said, as she got out of her chair. "I think I really needed that."

"Any time, Bloom. Any time."

...

Early the next day, Valtor marched through the woods, each step determined and measured. His usually splendid clothes were still slightly torn and dirtied from his escape from Alfea, which, combined with the scars and bruises, made him look quite dishevelled. He was also a lot less talkative than normal, only speaking enough to get across whatever info he felt was necessary. And whenever he spoke, there was always an undercurrent of barely restrained rage, as if the man was constantly fighting to keep his boiling temper under control.

In truth, this worried Stormy. She herself knew quite well how hard it could be to restrain one's emotions. She hoped that whatever he was planning would work, because if there were any more setbacks, the dandy magi might just lose it. And part of her sincerely felt that Valtor snapping would probably be very dangerous, with or without his dragonflame.

"We're here," he reported, as they reached the edge of Lake Roccaluce. "This is where we will initiate the plan."  
"Fantastic. So, would you mind finally explaining this brilliant plan of yours?" Icy asked annoyed. "Because you've kept your mouth tightly shut ever since we got you that info."

There was a slight twitch in the sorcerer's expression. "Very well," he said and took a deep breath, obviously not in the mood for Icy's complaining. "I had to take some time to actually prepare for this, but alright then, I'll tell you. The Staff of Four Elements was a powerful artefact that gave the wielder complete control over fire, water, wind and earth. Sealed away by the Roccalucian Order because they thought it was too dangerous to have lying around. And then I stole it from them. Now I will use these elements in a powerful spell that will put everything around here in grave danger. Once I hold the proverbial knife to everyone's throat, Bloom will be forced to come to me and undo the bindings on my dragonflame. She will no doubt first try to fight me, but once that ceases to be an option, she will see no other choice but to restore my flame."

"And what if she refuses? Would you really... You know, destroy everything?" Stormy asked nervously.

Valtor was silent for a moment. "It doesn't matter," he finally stated. "She cannot afford to risk it and most will believe that I will." He placed the Agador Box on the ground and concentrated. "Now Phila will regret getting in my way, as will everyone else." He closed his eyes and concentrated. One of the dragonshades in the box started pulsating with energy.

Suddenly, the waters of the lake began churning and roiling, as it was ceased by powerful magic. Suddenly, the water rushed out of the lake and moved like a tidal wave through the woods. Next, the earth began to rumble as the ground tore itself apart. Large parts of the surface collapsed and great rifts formed, as the shaking moved on. With a flash, a great forest fire started on one side of the now dry lakebed, before it too began moving away, disintegrating the forest into cinders as it went. Finally, the air started to move with great speed, as several tornadoes formed. They moved forward, ripping the ancient trees out of the ground as they went, thunder and lightning dancing inside their whirling midsts.

"Wow," Darcy said, eyebrows raised. "That's... Quite an impressive spell. So where are they going?"

"The tidal wave will surround Cloud Tower, the quake will threaten Magicalis, the inferno goes for Alfea and, as you might be able to guess, the tornadoes will move on Red Fountain," Valtor explained. "Once they're in position, I will make my ultimatum. Until then, we shall prepare for retaliation. I will construct a temporary hideout here." He placed a hand on the Agador Box again and focused. The soggy dirt in the now empty lakebed began shifting and within a few minutes, a labyrinthine complex of caverns had been formed. "Follow me. We will setting up a fitting welcome," he said, as he marched down a nearby opening.

"I do hope he can remain in control of that spell," Stormy commented worried. "It seems to be quite potent."

"As long as he has the box, he should be able to," Darcy said, as the three witches followed the sorcerer into the caves.

"But what happens if he loses that control?"

"I can hear you," Valtor stated. "And as for your question, I imagine you're worried about potential collateral damage. Do not worry. I have designed this spell so should my control at any time break, then the elemental forces will dissipate. I am no more interested in an unnecessary massacre than you are."

...

Faragonda was going through some papers when she noticed something out of the corner of her eyes. An ominous dark cloud in the distance. As she turned to observe this strange phenomena, she quickly noticed that it wasn't just a cloud. Large, black plumes of smoke rose from the forest as a raging conflagration quickly approached the school.

"Headmistress," Griselda exclaimed, as she barged in. "I'm sorry, but..."  
"I noticed," Faragonda quickly responded, as she grabbed her phone. She quickly input a number and she and the deputy waited with held breath.

"Saladin? Thank the Dragon I got hold of you. It's Faragonda. A massive forest fire is making its way towards Alfea. I will need... Tornadoes?"

"Yes, tornadoes," Saladin replied, as he looked out his office window. Several of the massive twisters were tearing their way through the woods. "Three of them in fact. And they're coming straight at us. Not to mention that the area outside Magicalis is coming apart at the seams due to a sudden earthquake. I doubt I have to tell you that this cannot be a coincidence." He paused. "And Griffin is calling. I doubt it's to tell us that everything is okay on her end." With a button press, he added her to the call.

"So my school is currently an aquarium," Griffin started. She looked out the window at the whirling pool of water that had surrounded her school. "All basement and ground floor levels have been flooded and I've yet been able to cancel the spell that keeps the water here."  
"No doubt this is the work of Valtor," Saladin said. "Though I thought a spell of this magnitude would be beyond him without his flame."

"Not with the Agador Box. That thing is a potent magical tool," Faragonda said. "But does he intend to wipe us out?"

"I doubt it," Griffin stated. "Give it a few minutes and he will tell us what he wants."

As if on cue, Valtor's face manifested in the sky. "Hello, everyone," he stated coldly, though there was a hint of frustration to his tone. "I am done playing around, so I will make this clear and concise. Princess Phil... Bloom of Domino possesses the power to undo the damage done to my dragonflame. She has an hour to go to Lake Roccaluce and restore my power, or I will wipe Alfea, Cloud Tower, Red Fountain and Magicalis off the map. And if I see so much as a single Red Fountain or Roccalucian ship above that lake, I swear by the Dragon you're all going to regret it." Then the image faded.

"He's pissed," Griffin stated.

"What can we do?" Faragonda asked. "We cannot just send Bloom out to heal his fire. It will just set us back to square one, not to mention it will be putting her at great risk."

"Even so, we cannot afford to ignore the threat. I will start deploying teams to fight off the threats as well as we can. But even with everything we have, fighting off four natural disasters at once will tax us all to the limit. And even if Valtor is bluffing, there's still bound to be unimaginable levels of collateral damage. There are people out there who could be caught up in all of this. People who..." Saladin paused, taking a deep breath. "Helia is out there, somewhere. Went to buy painting supplies. Him and dozens of others could be in Dragon knows what kind of danger as we speak.  
"Alright, I understand your concern. But we'll need to come up with a plan of action. Let's not act rashly. Because trust me, that is exactly what Valtor wants," Griffin stated.

Her sentiment was echoed by a frustrated Flora, who was pursuing Bloom out the main doors of the school. "Bloom, by everything people hold sacred, think this through."

"I'm going. And that's final," Bloom said, as she crossed the courtyard, her five friends following her.

"You're not seriously going to give him his flame back, are you?" Musa asked incredulously. "After all the problems he has caused."  
"Oh, I won't," Bloom replied. "I'm going to stop him once and for all. He's only doing this because of what I did. It's my responsibility to finish this."  
"Look, you've grown a lot stronger, especially with, like, the lessons Maia has been able to teach you," Stella said. "But I'm still not convinced that you can take down Valtor. He has years of experience ya know."

"And what am I supposed to do?" Bloom snapped, as she turned around. "He's got an entire inferno ready to burn Alfea to the ground if I don't show up, with similar threats hanging over three other places. I don't care if he's bluffing. He's holding thousands of innocent people at gunpoint just to get me. Well, he'll get what he wishes for."

"Listen, Firetop, I understand why this kerfuffle has made you really fucking upset," Techna insisted. "But he's out there, the Bitch Trio is out there, he's throwing natural disasters around like it's nothing. You go out there alone and they will crush you." She snapped her fingers. "Just like that."  
Bloom clenched her fists. "But there's nobody else. The school will be too busy getting everyone to safety. Neither Red Fountain nor the Roccalucian Order will dare send in troops for him until every civilian in the area has been brought to safety. And by then, it might just be too late. There is nobody but me left to do this."  
"Wrong," Aisha insisted. "There's us."  
The redhead froze. "What?"

"Yeah. If you're going to, like, totally charge off to kick Valtor's behind, let's do it together," Stella said.

"Indeed. While I do not normally approve of such recklessness, Valtor has revealed where he is. I hate to say it, but we might just have the greatest chance of stopping him," Flora said. "It is worth a shot. And you are right. We cannot afford to just assume that this is all one giant bluff."

"Besides, what kind of bastards would we be if we just let our best friend go out there to get butchered?" Techna asked. "I'll tell you. Some pretty rotten ones."

"We've gotten this far by helping each other. It's not like everything ever was solved by you alone, you know," Musa commented. "So let's do this as a team. Like we always do."

Bloom blinked, a grateful tear appearing in her eye. "Thank you," she said softly. "Thank you all. I-I don't know what to..."  
"Then save it for later," the black-haired musician interrupted. "Let's get out of here before that gigantic bonfire cuts us off."  
"Oh. Right," Bloom said and turned towards the entrance. "Let's do this."

...

The trip through the woods had been unnerving, especially with the raging inferno so close. Several animals had been fleeing from the danger, ever present reminders of the massive forces Valtor had unleashed. But finally, they made it to the coast of the great Lake Roccaluce."

"So this used to be a lake, right?" Techna inquired. "One with water and such."  
"I hope Daphne is okay," Bloom mumbled, as she surveyed the great hole that had been left. "She was really attached to this place."

"Not much we can do about it now. Once we've dealt with Valtor, we can petition Magicalis for a refill," Musa said, as she took her first step down into the lakebed. "Come on, let's go."

The group trudged down the side of the dried out lake, passing by the quickly withering flora and fauna that once inhabited the water.

"Even if Valtor does not harm a single civilian, the ecological damage he has caused will still be great," Flora noted.

"All the more reason to stop him as quickly as possible," Bloom stated with determination. "Now where is he hiding?"  
"If I were the betting type, I'd wager he'd be down there somewhere," Musa stated and pointed at a tunnel entrance.

"Seems likely," Stella commented, as the group descended into the opening. As darkness enveloped them, the Solarian princess let a bright light fill the cavern. They continued ever deeper into the earth, wary for any sign of trouble.

"At last, you have arrived," suddenly echoed Valtor's voice. "So, Phila, have you come to undo the dousing as I asked you to?"

Bloom turned around, trying to pinpoint the sound. "Where are you? Show yourself."  
"Tsk, tsk. You didn't answer my question, Phila."

"Over there," Musa whispered and pointed. "The sound is coming from that tunnel."  
"Let's move," Techna stated, as the group moved in.

"Valtor, you're bringing thousands of people in danger. And you know it," Bloom scalled loudly, as the group closed in on the sorcerer. "It's not right."  
"Oh, you're one to talk," Valtor huffed. "Like you always do what is right. I'll have you know that you, all of you, have garnered quite the reputation for involving yourselves in things you should have left alone." The group entered a lit up cavern, standing face to face with the sorcerer. "Which includes _my_ business," he finished. "Just look at you. You could end all of this in a few minutes by restoring my fire. But instead you remain stubborn, taking your little strike team of fairy friends with you to stop me." He glared at his half-sibling. "It's not going to help, mind you. All it's going to do is delay the inevitable. At the end of this, you will beg me to recall the four elements in exchange for the restoration of my flame."

"Don't be so self-assured," Bloom said, fire manifesting in her hands. "That did not go well for you last time."

"Then bring it on, Phila. Show us all that you can defeat the big bad Valtor," the dandy sorcerer taunted her.

With a whoosh, Bloom unleashed her fire, the roaring conflagration completely obscuring the sorcerer. And when the attack died off, he was gone.

"Wait, don't tell me. Another illusion," Musa groaned.  
"Indeed," Valtor's voice echoed from somewhere else. "A simple, if useful trick. And now, for my next one." The entire cave began rumbling as the earth shifted around.

"Wha-what's going on?" Techna asked, as she fought to stay upright. "Thi-this isn't ri-right."  
Pillars of earth rose from the ground, forcing the girls apart. The entirety of the cave was altered and just as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped.

"Well, that was uncomfortable," Stella stated and looked around. "Everybody okay?"  
"Yes. Just a bit bruised," Flora commented as she got up. "Seems we are all... Wait, where is Bloom?"

"I'm not seeing her anywhere," Aisha stated.

"Dammit. He's cut us off from her," Musa grumbled. "I'll try to echolocate her or something. Once we know where she is, we can..." A blast of lightning hit her in the back and she fell convulsing to the ground with a scream.

"I think you have other things to worry about," Stormy said, as she and Icy jumped out of a tunnel opening. "Valtor wants us to take care of you."

Aisha sent a spurt of water against the witches, which Icy froze. As she did, Techna grabbed her gun and began firing, but a powerful shield of wind created by Stormy smashed the bullet out of the air. Flora drew her machete and charged the wild-haired witch, who blocked her blow with her mace. With a snarl, Stormy swung her heavy weapon, lightning dancing across the surface as the Limphean noble evaded.

Stella charged her light and got ready to blast, when Darcy popped out of a shadow near her, daggers at the ready. The blonde squeaked in shock as she barely managed to fend off the ambush with her staff. She tried to keep the athletic witch away, but Darcy ducked under a swing and jabbed one of her blades into the princess' thigh. Stella screamed in pain and her leg crumbled beneath her, causing her to fall.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Musa roared as she jumped Darcy, fans at the ready. The dirty-blonde barely managed to pull back, the serrated edge of the war fan slicing into her chin and taking off a lock of hair. Musa pushed the advantage, trying to keep Darcy away from the fallen Stella. The blast from Stormy had blown a hole in her shirt and left her back blackened and blistering, but she could still fight.

Techna dodged behind a rock as several large icicles were flung at her. "Aisha, could really use some help over here."

"Yeah. I agree," the Princes of Tides monotonously said.

"I hate it when Frosty does that." The magenta-haired girl dodged as a frozen warhammer smashed through her cover.

"The name is Icy," the white-haired witch hissed, before swinging her weapon again.

Techna raised her gun and pulled the trigger, getting only a clicking sound. "Aw, shit. Can I get timeout?"

"Sure," Icy responded, before suddenly lashing out with her staff, knocking Techna's legs away from under her. The scarred girl crashed to the ground, knocking her head against a rock. "Here's your permanent timeout." The white-haired witch raised her staff, an axe-blade of ice manifesting, and brought it down hard.

Techna only managed to roll away in the last second and jumped up. She ducked down, avoiding another swing from Icy.

"Oh, what are you going to do now that you're out of ammo?" the witch taunted.

Techna dodged another swing, before she suddenly charged forward, smashing the stock of her weapon against Icy's face, which resulted in a loud crack. Her opponent stumbled back as blood began flowing from her nose. "Oh, I don't know," Techna said nonchalant. "I thought I might pistol whip a bitch."

...

"Ow, my head," Bloom groaned, as she slowly got up. The earth had suddenly disappeared under her feet and she now found herself enveloped in darkness. A flame ignited in her hand, illuminating the cave she had landed in.

"I apologise for the inconvenience," Valtor said, as the flickering light revealed him. Unlike his illusionary self, the real sorcerer looked a lot more shaken up. The Agador Box was held firmly under his arm, one of the dragonshades within gently pulsating with magical power. "But now that we have a moment for ourselves, I thought I might as well repeat my offer. Undo the harm the water star did and I will recall the elements. Nobody has to know. Just say that I forced you or something."  
Bloom paused for a second. "No," she stated. "I will not. You need to stop letting the rest of the world suffer, just because you're throwing a temper tantrum."

"Trust me, Phila. You have not seen me throw a tantrum yet," the sorcerer growled.

"Daphne told me everything. And you know what, I get it. Your parents didn't treat either of you right," the redgead continued. "But that does not give you the right to..."  
"SILENCE!" Valtor roared. "You know _NOTHING_ of what happened. Ungrateful little girl. Had it not been for me, you would have suffered the same fate as Daphne. Locked up in a golden cage to wither on the vine, seen only as a prize to be given away to the highest bidder. My action _freed_ you."  
"YOU RUINED AN ENTIRE COUNTRY!" Bloom yelled at him.

"AND I WOULD HAVE UNDONE THE CURSE ALREADY, HAD YOU NOT GOTTEN IN MY WAY!" Valtor roared back.

The two half-siblings were quiet for a moment, all that could be heard in the darkness their heavy breathing.

"Fine then," Valtor sneered. "I see how this is going. If you will not freely undo the dousing, I will MAKE YOU!" With a movement of his free hand, a ball of fire manifested and surged forward.

Bloom raised her hands, magically catching the flames. As she did, an earthen pillar erupted from the ground, pounding her in the chest and sending her flying backwards. She crashed into a wall and fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"Now, I've always promised Daphne that despite your interference, I wouldn't kill you," Valtor snarled as he stomped forward. "I intend to keep that promise. But trust me, Phila, you'd be surprised what you can live through." With another movement of his hand, he forced her up against the wall with a powerful gust of wind. "As we speak, my associates are dealing with your friends. The sooner you cease your stubbornness, the sooner..." Fire exploded from Bloom and Valtor had to take a step back, calling upon one of the dragonshades to shield him.

The redhead used the moment to dash off, even as her bruised stomach protested. She leapt behind some rocks, as several pillars of earth struck out at her. She peeked out and flung another fireball at Valtor, which he blocked with a shield. He counter-attacked with a powerful blast of water, which broke the redhead's cover apart, sending her scrambling for a new one.

"IT'S NO USE, PHILA!" Valtor yelled. "YOU MAY HAVE GROWN STRONG, BUT YOU STILL DON'T STAND A CHANCE AGAINST ME!"

Behind her new cover, Bloom had to admit that he had a point. She had grown stronger, but Valtor was years ahead of her experience wise. She needed her friends' help, but they were somewhere up above fighting. A desperate idea formed in her head.

"Boy, for everything Daphne told me about you, she never did mention how whiny you are," Bloom taunted, dashing from cover to cover as she evaded the sorcerer's attacks. "I mean, seriously, this is how you're going to pull this off? Swaggering in with long hair, a coat and arrogance out the whazoo? Valtor the pretty boy criminal?" A look at her half-brother confirmed that his face had become a noticeable shade of red, as he flung spell after spell at her. "Why don't you just cut the self-righteous attitude, as if you actually were the victim of anything really grievous, and just come out and flat out admit that you're sad because your parents didn't give you enough attention."  
"WOULD YOU SHUT UP ALREADY!" the furious sorcerer roared. With a big swing of his arms, he tipped a large pillar of rock, which the redhead barely dodged. "I'VE HAD..." A pebble hit his head. "Had... What the...?"

More and more stones rained from up above as the cavern rumbled. The ceiling came apart in large chunks of rock, bringing with it both screaming fairies and witches.

A few seconds of silence passed as the dust settled.

"Endless Ocean, my everything hurts," Aisha groaned, as she pulled herself out of the dirt. "What just happened?"

"I think the floor gave way," Stormy commented, resulting in a muffled Musa yelling: "NO SHIT!" from the pile of dirt she was trying to extract herself from.

With sudden and great force, parts of the fallen rocks were blasted away as Valtor freed himself. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" Blood trickled from a wound on his forehead and his once elegant clothes were coming apart. "WHERE ARE YOU, PHILA?! THIS IS NOT OVER YET!" He turned to the three witches. "YOU THREE! TAKE CARE OF THE OTHER FAIRIES WHILE I DEAL WITH PHILA!"

"Yeesh, he's really losing his cool," Icy grumbled, as she rubbed a sore spot on her shoulder.

"Like your one to talk," Stormy huffed, as she picked her mace up. "Alright, fairies. Round TWO!" She flung a ball lightning at Flora, who leapt to the side to avoid it. Icy joined in, swinging her now bladed staff at the brunette, only to be forced back as Stella tried to sear her with a blast of sunlight. Darcy got up, but was quickly brought down as Techna tackled her, while Aisha fired a stream of water at the white-haired witch.

Not far from them Musa finally managed to extract herself from the mound of dirt that had halfway buried her. She coughed and noticed with annoyance that both her fans had disappeared in the collapse. She took a moment to assess the situation, mostly to figure out how she could help her friends, when she noticed something else poking out of the rubble.

Valtor forced his way through the cave, searching for any sign of his half-sibling. He spotted her beind a large rock, coughing from the dust. "Very clever, Phila. I admit, you've managed to push my buttons." With a burst of magic and a movement of his arms, the redhead was pushed back. "I actually lost my temper there for a second. And now your friends are here, just like you probably wanted." The redhead raised her hand, preparing to blast the approaching sorcerer, but he just grabbed her wrist with a burst of speed. Suddenly, searing pain exploded through her body and she was forced to her knees.  
"What, did you forget my knack still works?" the sorcerer questioned her. He grabbed her other wrist. "See. Even with your friends here, you still can't beat me. Why don't you do yourself a favour and surrender?"  
Bloom forced her eyes open, as her half-sibling overloaded her nerves. She cast a glance over the battlefield, taking in the events. "You know," she gasped. "You're really awful... At keeping... Track of things... At times"  
"Oh really?" came Valtor's mocking question. "And what should I be keeping an eye on?"

"Your box," Bloom replied with a triumphant smirk.

Valtor froze and the pain ceased. His head whipped around, desperation flaring in his eyes. Musa held the amber box above her head. "NO! STOP!"

The black-haired musician smashed the lock of the artefact against an exposed stone, breaking it apart. The lid flew open and arcane powers exploded from it, launching Musa back as dragonshade after dragonshade seeped out to return to their original homes.

"NO! NO! NOOOO!" Valtor yelled as he threw Bloom away and stormed towards the leaking artefact. The redhead leapt forwards and grabbed her half-brothers shin, causing him to fall. She locked her grip, only to catch a boot to the head as the sorcerer kicked her off.

He got up and stormed towards the box, as more and more of the dragonshades flew off. Flora jumped forwards, taking a swing at the sorcerer with her machete.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Valtor roared, as he forced her back with his magic. He charged forward once more, desperate to reach the chest, only for his legs to be swept away from underneath him by a wave of water.

Aisha got ready to fire more, but was jumped by Stormy, giving the dandy magi the moment he needed to get up again. He had almost reached the box, when Musa blasted him with sound, sending him flying into a wall. "I've had enough of your bullshit," she called, before having to back off as Icy attacked her.

With a desperate howl, Valtor lunged and smashed close the lid, resealing the content. He stared at the amber box in shock. "No! NO!" he hoarsely yelled.

Only a single dragonshade remained within.

...

"And FIRE!" Brandon ordered loudly.

Timmy immediately complied, pressing a button on his console. A missile ignited and flew from the owl into one of the tornadoes, exploding in a powerful shockwave that disrupted its entire structure. The whirling mass of wind dissipated into nothing. "The tornado is down."

"Great. There's just a bazillion more on their way," Riven noted dryly, as he scanned the info on his radar. "I don't think all of Red Fountain has enough missiles for this mess."

"Any news over the radio?" Sky asked, as he turned the vessel towards the nearest twister. "Are the other teams doing any better?"

"With destroying the tornadoes? No, it's about as pointless as our attempts," Brandon reported. "Every time one goes down, another immediately manifests to replace it. As for the other disasters, so far they haven't been able to make as much as a dent in the forest fire and the only thing they could do about the earthquake and flood was evacuating people."  
"This is a waste of time," Riven groaned. "As long as the spell is active, everything we do is moot. We're not even making a fucki..." He blinked. "What the...?"

"What's going on?" Brandon asked.  
"Well, the tornadoes are disappearing," Riven replied a tad nonplussed. "So I guess somebody did something about the spell."  
"Bloom!" Sky suddenly exclaimed. "You don't think that she...?"  
"It is a possibility," Brandon commented. "There's really no way to tell."

At Alfea, a tense mood had spread as the faeries had desperately tried to push the fire back, while watching as Red Fountain vessels dumped loads and loads of water without any apparent result. And then, quite suddenly, the entire conflagration snuffed out.

"What just happened?" Mirta asked, blinking in surprise.

Griselda, who was standing beside the redhead, closed her eyes in concentration. "It would appear the spell is dissipating," she finally stated. "Which means either Valtor got what he wanted or that he was defeated."

At Magicalis, people were close to panicking, as the police, Red Fountain and the Roccalucian Order did their best to get people away from the constant churning of rocks just outside of the city, just in case the earthquake would hit. And then, quite suddenly, the rumbling stopped.

The entire city fell silent for a moment.

"BEN THE JUSTICE MAN APPROVES OF THIS DEVELOPMENT!"  
"But why did it stop?"  
"BEN THE JUSTICE MAN HAS NO IDEA!"

At Cloud Tower, Griffin watched as the waters of Lake Roccaluce retreated from the tower and made its way back through the forest. She sighed, rubbing her temples for a moment. "Valtor, you've really gone and done it this time."

"Headmistress," Nash said, as he opened the door. "I guess you've noticed that the waters have, quite literally, retreated."

"Yes, yes, I know. Do you think Cloud Tower will be okay?"  
"I talked with Discorda about it. She says it can handle it on its own, but would appreciate the help."

"Let's go get some mops then."

...

Valtor kept staring at the box, as if he hoped that through sheer force of will he could force the other dragonshades to reappear. But only one remained, gently pulsating with power.

The cave was silent. Everyone waiting to see what would happen next. It was as if time stood completely still.

"All my hard work. An entire year's worth of planning, gambling and working. Gone," he hoarsely said, as if the reality of the situation was only slowly seeping in. "I'm no longer able to... Restore... Domino. Without the shades, will not... I won't... You. Do you... Do any... Do any of you... DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!?" he roared, as he jumped up. "YOU HAVE RUINED EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING!" Undiluted rage blazed in his eyes and his face was a mask of pure fury. "YOU WILL PAY FOR...!"

His angry tirade was cut off as the cave began rumbling, loose pebbles and rocks falling from the ceiling.

Darcy's eyes widened. "Valtor, what happened to your spell when the chest was forced open?"  
"Well, it ended of cour..." the bewildered sorcerer replied, before he froze, all anger gone from his face as sudden realisation set in. "Oh no."

"Guys. I'm sensing a lot of water coming down towards us," Aisha stated, as she stared at the ceiling. "I think the lake is coming back."

"Oh," Bloom stated. "Crap."

With a thunderous blast of noise, a massive stream of water sprayed from one of the tunnels, as more and more of the cavern began collapsing. The massive spray caught Valtor in the side, knocking the box of his hand. "NO!" he yelled, as he ran after it. "I can't lose this one too!"

Large boulders began raining from the ceiling, mud streamed from the openings and the water rose quickly.

"We have to get out of here," Flora stated.

"I'm sensing that tunnel leads up," Musa said and pointed. "But we got to move now."  
"I'll lead the way," Aisha said as she ran up till the rapidly flooding tunnel, using her magic to push the water out of the way.

"We have to get out too," Darcy stated, as she and Icy pursued the faeries. They both suddenly stopped. "Stormy, come on."

"We can't leave him," Stormy insisted, before turning and yelling: "VALTOR! WE HAVE TO GO! NOW!"

"I can't lose this one too," the distracted sorcerer said to himself, as he waded through the knee high lake water in pursuit of the box. He grabbed it, pulling it out of the muck, manically telling himself that: "I can start over again. As long as I have this, I'll do it. Even without my dragonflame, I'll restore Domino and everything will be fine. Maybe I'll even be able to call back Miriam and Dad and then we'll..."  
"VALTOR!" Stormy yelled, as she tried to force herself through the water, but was stopped as Icy and Darcy grabbed her. "COME ON! VALTOR!"

Another rumble suddenly shook the cave. The ceiling gave away as several tons of water broke through the artificial cave. Valtor looked up, his eyes widening in shock, before the heavy mass of mud, rock and water slammed down over him.

And just like that he was gone.

"VALTOR!" Stormy yelled, as her two friends struggled to drag her up through the tunnel. "WE GOTTA HELP HIM! WE CAN STILL HELP HIM!"  
"For fuck's sake, he's gone. Would you stop struggling already and help save yourself?" a rather frustrated Icy complained, as she attempted to force her friend out.

Up ahead, the faeries forced their way up, the princess of Tides trying to keep the water away, while rivers of mud flowed around their feet.

"This sucks," Stella groaned, her one leg still numb, which necessitated support from Musa. "I think I lost one of my shoes back there."  
"If that's all you lose today, consider yourself lucky," Musa replied.

Finally, with one last burst of willpower, Aisha managed to break through to the lakebed itself, where the waters where also rapidly filling up. "Almost there. We just gotta get up to the coast."  
"HEY! FAERIES!" Icy yelled behind them and the faeries turned to see the white-haired witch and Darcy dragging Stormy towards them. "DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE DROP THAT WATER ON US!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Musa groaned, before handing Stella over to Bloom. She jumped and slid down the muddy slope, before giving the two some help dragging the sobbing Stormy up. "For the record, I still hate you all. What happened to her? And where is Valtor?"  
"Well, those two issues are kinda related," Darcy replied. "Since he got buried under I don't even know how many tons of rock and water."  
"Oh," Musa replied. "Sorry to hear that."  
"Just help us get her out of here before she gets us all killed," Icy hissed.

They made their way up to the lakebed, where Aisha was now struggling to hold back to walls of water that were attempting to crush them.

"I will take your spot here," Flora offered Icy. "Then you can use your powers to help hold back the water."  
"Don't tell me what to do, fairy," Icy snarled, though none the less she let go of Stormy and began assisting Aisha by freezing large quantities of the lake. Slowly, they made their way up the sides of the lake and finally the group collapsed in the grass.

With a final roar, the water closed and the great lake settled, still bubbling from the air escaping from the rapidly flooding caves below.

"To the... Abyss... With all... Of this shit," Icy gasped. "I've had... Just about... Enough."

Stormy weakly got up and struggled to walk to the edge of the lake. Then, she just collapsed on her knees, starring at the lake with an expression of complete loss.

Suddenly, the girls heard whooshing in the air. They looked up to see several Red Fountain and Roccalucian ships descending on their position.

"Oh. I think we're about to be arrested," Darcy hoarsely stated.

"Fuck my life," Icy groaned, as she fell back in the grass. "I told you we should just have taken the box and made a run for it, but nooooooo, we just had to help the crazy sorcerer."

...

As the faeries were taken back to Alfea in a Red Fountain ship, Bloom couldn't help but ponder what had happened, as she stared at the destruction below. The fire had reduced the forest to ashen wasteland in a massive straight line between Lake Roccaluce and Alfea. Similar destruction had been wrecked in the distance by the other elements Valtor had unleashed. It would take years for the forest to recover.

And if what the Usurpers had said was true, then her half-brother now lay buried beneath the lake. She wondered how Daphne would handle it. The ghost had hoped that the sorcerer could be redeemed. But perhaps this was for the best.

Yet the redhead couldn't help but feel slightly hollow about the outcome. Perhaps part of her had secretly hoped that her sister had been right.

The Red Fountain owl landed just outside Alfea and the exhausted faeries were let out. As they approached the school, a thunderous applause broke out. The girls blinked.

The entirety of the school had gathered, all of them applauding.

"Yeah," Techna tiredly but happily said, as she raised an arm to wave at people. "We're awesome and they know it."  
"Bloom. How are you feeling?" Faragonda inquired, as she walked up to her ward. "I heard about what happened out there. Are you alright?"  
"Like I need a long bath and a good night's sleep," Bloom said groggily.  
"Hear, hear," Stella agreed.

"But before you go do that, there are somebody who'd like to say hello," Faragonda replied, gesturing with an arm. Out of the crowd stepped Riven, Brandon, Sky and Timmy.  
"Darling," Stella exclaimed, before jumping Brandon and enveloping him in a hug and giving him a kiss. "Oh, I was so worried I wouldn't survive to see you again after that mess."  
"Me too, Stella. Me too," Brandon replied, as he held her in his arms.

After kissing Timmy for a couple of seconds, Techna placed her arm around his shoulder and stated: "That was quite some adventure, Databoy. What do you say we go on a date to celebrate? It'll be on me, of course."  
"Ehm, actually, me and the others can only be here for a few minutes," Timmy admitted. "We've got to help scour the area and check up on the damage."  
"Hey, I didn't say it had to be right now," the scarred girl replied. "Besides, I need to go soak in some warm water and recharge my batteries before I'm ready to party."

"So. You all helped save the day yet again," Riven said to Musa. "Impressive. I've spent most of the day blowing up tornadoes, but that was kinda a waste of time."

"Well, you are good at wasting time," Musa replied with a smirk. "But seriously, I'm sure you all did a good job. Kinda wish you all had been with us though. The backup was sorely needed."  
"Yeah. I gather it got real ugly," Riven stated. "But hey, fortunately for you, you're as strong as you're cute. I never doubted you'd make it."  
"What he means to say is that the moment he heard you were out there, he was constantly biting his nails out of worry," Brandon commented, still hugging Stella.

"Going to kill you someday, Brandon."

"Hey. You look kinda tired," Sky stated, as Bloom approached him. "Is everythingOOMPH," he suddenly exhaled, as Bloom enveloped him in a tight hug. He froze for a second, before enveloping her. "You okay?"  
"No," Bloom sighed sadly, as she let go. "But the hug helped." She went quiet for a second. "I guess I never realised it, but I think I really began hoping that Daphne was right. That Valtor could be saved. He was still family and Daphne really cared about him."

"Yeah. It sucks," Sky replied, scratching his neck. "The guy was bad, but, you know, compared to the likes of Darkar or the Ancestral Witches, he wasn't that bad."  
"I know," Bloom sighed. "I know."

...

Helia walked down the soggy forest path, taking in the destruction. He had been out in the woods when the chaos had started and had watched things unfold from a kiosk he had passed by. He had tried to call his grandfather, but the lines were quite busy. No big surprise, considering the scale of the disaster. Red Fountain would probably be busy for days just dealing with the consequences of all of this.

He made his way down some stairs and found himself at the edge of Lake Roccaluce. The water had still not quite settled yet, bubbles still popping on the surface as the ground below settled. The kiosk had only been a couple of kilometres away from the massive wave. It had been a terrifying if awesome display of magic. Helia acknowledged how horrible it all was, but that did not mean he couldn't also see the savage beauty in such a frightening display of power. He had already created several sketches based on what he had seen. He intended to turn them into finished works of art, though they would probably not become part of his official catalogue until some time had passed. He was not going to trample on peoples' feelings by trying to use the disaster to increase his own standing while the wounds were still fresh. They would just remain a part of his portfolio until things had settled. And the artist was quite fine with that. He was in no hurry to do anything but get back to Red Fountain.

He was almost ready to walk away from the lakeside again, when suddenly the mud beneath him exploded. The artist barely had time to blink before he was enveloped in a cocoon of wet dirt, his limbs tightly pressed against his body. A layer covered his mouth, preventing him from calling for help.

And then the cocoon turned him around, forcing him to look straight into the furious eyes of Valtor, the Agador Box and the dragonshade within it held tightly in his arms.


	26. The Madness of Valtor

Chapter 26: The Madness of Valtor

Saladin sighed as he started going through the papers he had received. Not even an entire day had passed and already the damage reports guaranteed that millions upon millions of nummi would have to be spent to fix everything. And that was after both Alfea and Cloud Tower promised to let their older students assist in the clean-up free of charge if said students wanted to do so. And to make matters worse, Helia hadn't come back yet. The rational part of Saladin's mind told him that the young man was probably just waiting somewhere, in case things went crazy again. He could still be in Magicalis for example. Plus, public transport had been temporarily shut down, so he was probably just at some motel waiting for a chance to get back to Red Fountain. And he would have had little chance to call, what with the phones almost being red hot from the constant calls. The warlock had resorted to letting the other instructors take all the incoming calls, just to give himself the time he needed to go through the reports. Plus, he had an important visitor coming over.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door and Saladin said: "Come in," without looking away from the paper.

"Mr. Saladin. I am John Bartleby, nymph and representative of the Roccalucian order," the well-dressed man said. "I was told that you wished to coordinate clean-up efforts with us."

"Indeed. There's plenty of work and as the largest military organisation in the area, we felt it would be prudent to pool our resources," the warlock began. "How much do you know?"  
"I was just called in for this a couple of hours ago. Enough to catch the gist of what happened," the nymph replied. "The criminal known as Valtor used a dragonshade stolen from our order to create several large scale disasters. The man himself died when the disrupted spell buried his hideout under Lake Roccaluce, but not before he had caused a lot of damage to the surrounding area. But there's a lot of details that I am still missing."  
"Indeed. Neither Alfea, Cloud Tower nor Red Fountain suffered all that much structurally. Cloud Tower was hit a bit hard by the flood, but since that building is alive and can regenerate, it is of little concern." Menefer shuffled some papers around. "Magicalis was not as lucky. While the quake itself never centred on the city, the shaking did cause several dozens of buildings to become structurally unsound, necessitating that the people who lived within be moved until repairs could be made. In fact, almost half of all buildings in Magicalis now have to be thoroughly inspected to ensure that no damage is overlooked. The town's infrastructure has also suffered, as the quake did collapse large amounts of electrical wiring, water pipes and sewer network. It will take months to find and repair all the damage there. Furthermore, all four of the disasters caused large scale ecological destruction, with several thousands of trees destroyed."  
"I can see how that would be an issue," the nymph commented. "It can be fixed, especially with magical assistance, but it's not as easy as just waving your hands and resurrecting all the dead trees."

"Indeed. We're either looking at years of work or spending millions to hire enough magi to make it somewhat expedient," Saladin reported. "On top of that, said disasters also caused damage to roads, bridges and several smaller structures in the woodlands. So far, the only casualties we've heard about are the many animals that died, but I'm not optimistic enough to rule out the possibility of people having perished. Speaking of animals, preliminary reports on Lake Roccaluce indicate that it is almost completely dead. We will have to import several plants and fish to restore balance to it. So as you can see, there is plenty of work."  
"Any plans for how to secure funds?" the representative asked.

"We have been promised by the council in Magicalis that they will set money aside to assist with the matter. And of course, the magi schools have offered to let their students work for us, if said students so desire. Furthermore, I have sent requests out among our recruits and the students of said schools to please ask their relatives for donations."  
"Ah. You're hoping to gain the assistance of the other realms through unofficial channels. Interesting."

"Perhaps so. But I will have no idea if it has worked or not until later. Now, as I stated before, my proposal is that our organizations pool our resources. We're both busy organizations and that means devoting enough manpower to this alone could be hard. But if we cooperate, we should be able to reduce the extra costs for bringing in outside experts to assist with the rebuilding efforts. I have a few proposals, but until I know how much you can and are willing to devote to this, I'd rather not put too many numbers on it."

"That is a sensible decision, Mr. Saladin," the nymph responded. "It was my impression from the others that we would very much like to see such a cooperative venture happen. I was given several folders full of info about the resources we have invested here on Magix and how much is currently not invested in more important tasks. Of course, we must expect such things to be held flexible, but it should give us a good overview of what we have to work with."

"I'm glad to hear that," the warlock replied.

...

A rather mournful tone echoed over Alfea, as Musa sat by her window, playing a song on her flute. She stopped and turned her head from the view of the devastated forest, as she heard someone approach. "Oh, hello Bloom."

"Hey," the redhead replied. "That was beautiful. What song was that?"  
"Nothing specific. I was really just improvising." The black-haired musician returned her gaze to the forest. "I felt like playing something, but this view really doesn't inspire me to make happy melodies."

Bloom glanced at the elaborate white instrument. "Neat flute."  
Musa chuckled. "Don't you recognise it? It's the dragonbone flute you allowed me to take from Domino's treasury."  
"Oh, right. I remember that." Bloom paused. "Should really think about getting back there. Still a lot of stuff just sitting down in that royal vault. Is it good? I don't know that much about instruments."  
"It's weird playing on dragonbone." The black-haired musician took a moment to inspect the flute. "I have to be careful with it. The material causes the sounds to resonate, meaning that it becomes loud really quickly. I almost blew out my eardrums when I first tested it."

The redhead winced. "Ouch. But other than that, is it good?"  
"Superb. Though best suited for more sombre music," Musa replied and blew a couple of notes. "But there has to be room for that in music too." She paused. "So what can I do for you? Or did you just come by here to admire my flute handling?"

"Oh my!" somebody called from under the window.

Musa leaned over the edge and looked down. "Dammit Techna, how long have you been standing there?"  
"I swear by the Dragon, I just came by right now. Didn't mean to interrupt your..." The scarred girl couldn't help but snicker. "'Flute handling'. See you laters."

"That woman. Swear by the spirits..." Musa mumbled while rolling her eyes.

"To answer your question, I guess I was just wandering around and I heard your music," Bloom answered with a shrug.

"Still a bit in a funk over what happened I take it. Listen, I understand why your sister really wanted to help Valtor. Family and such. And while I far from liked the guy, I would rather have seen him in court than squashed under a ton of rocks. But it is what it is and I must admit, I don't share your sister's optimism. There's just some people you can't help."  
"And what if he was one of those we could have?" Bloom asked.  
"Then I would have been wrong about him," Musa replied matter-of-factly. "That has happened before you know. I don't claim to be able to judge people perfectly. I just prefer to not get my hopes up on something like this." She gazed at the forest. "Quite the mess he made though. I hear Flora is going to volunteer with the replanting of the forest."  
"Yeah. And both Stella and Aisha have petitioned their parents for financial aid to help the area recover," Bloom added. "I think King Radius and Queen Luna have already agreed. They just need to go through the budget first before they can determine how much they can send."

"It's nice to know royals who actually give a fuck," Musa commented approvingly. "What about Aisha's parents?"  
"Well, I did ask about that and..." The redhead paused. "I must admit, I got a bit angry. Not Aisha's fault, but her realm sometimes... Frustrates me."  
Musa sighed. "Did they refuse?"

"No. But they kinda did feel that... Well... Due to circumstances, she was... You know, not capable of properly judging if this is indeed business Tides should involve itself in," Bloom began. "So they're sending a delegation led by her future husband, Nabu, to make a proper judgement of the situation here."

Musa glared. "And why is that necessary?"  
"Well... Because she's a woman," Bloom finally admitted. "I might have said some less than nice things about her parents in the heat of the moment. I did apologise, but... You know."

"Oh, for fucks sake," Musa groaned.

...

The Red Fountain owl slowly descended, before coming to a stop at the edge of Lake Roccaluce. The back-hatch opened, letting Sky, Brandon, Riven and Timmy out.

"Can't believe we got stuck with this job," the sabre-wielding soldier grumbled, as he helped the others unload some boxes of cargo. "You'd think somebody would have some spare nerds they could chuck at the problem or something. Why send military dudes to measure water and crap?"

"Because, Riven, a soldier is more than just a man who fights," Brandon said in a tone indicating that he had answered that particular question a gazillion times already. "As soldiers, we are expected to act in times of crisis. That was why we were called in to deal with the disasters Valtor had created. And that is also why we help with the recovery effort. And part of the recovery effort involves boring drudge work that is none the less vital."

"Yeah. I mean, some of the others got way more boring jobs," Sky said. "At least we don't have to help inspect every single building in southern Magicalis. Now that sounds boring. At least we get some fresh air."

"Would be a lot nicer if the area wasn't so dead," Timmy commented, as he started unpacking the equipment. "Most of the animals around here have either died or run away." He pulled out several test tubes. "Now, first we are to attempt to gather some water so we can get an idea of how the lake's microbiology is doing. Getting an accurate reading on this, the algae level and the oxygen level will give us an idea of how urgent the situation is. As we both need to take some samples from the coast and from the middle of it, I suggest we split up. Either Sky or Riven can use the aircycle to go collect..."  
"DIPS!" Riven immediately called.

"Huh, what?" Sky asked surprised. "Come on, you could at least let him finish."  
"I'm supposed to take one of the glass tubes and get some water in it," the magenta-haired soldier replied dryly. "Dunno about you, Sky, but it's not exactly rocket surgery to me. I don't need Timmy to give a detailed instruction on how that works." He smirked. "But if you need that, maybe it's a good thing you'll stay here."  
"At least I have common courtesy," Sky replied. "I know better than to interrupt others. Perhaps the first thing you should do is getting on that aircycle and go find some manners."  
"Well, excuse me for trying to be efficient. It's just that unlike you royal types, I'm a man of action and therefore..."  
"IF THE TWO OF YOU DO NOT SHUT UP NOW, I'M GOING TO DROWN YOU BOTH IN THE LAKE LIKE A SACK OF PUPPIES!" Brandon yelled.

There was a moment of silence.

"That's some very fucked up imagery you used there, Captain," Riven commented.

"I know. Now let's get to work," the squire stated.

Timmy cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "Drowning canines aside, as I said we should... Wait, was that...?" Timmy leaned to the side, trying to get a good look at the forest behind the boys.

"What was what?" Sky asked, as he and the others turned around.

"I swear I just saw Helia."  
"Well, the dude has been missing for almost a day," Riven commented. "He might be on his way back now. Yo, Helia. You there?" He walked closer to the woods. "Hey, Helia, it's me, Riven."  
"Well, if that didn't scare him off," Sky commented. "Should we take a look, Brandon?"  
"Even if it isn't Helia, it might still be someone in need of help," the squire stated. "Or maybe just somebody out for a walk. Nothing wrong with that."  
The group made their way through the bushes, finding a path through the forest. "Was it about here you saw the person, Timmy?"  
"Well, I thought so," the bespectacled sniper stated. "But there doesn't seem to be anyone. Maybe it was just a trick of the lAAAIIIIIGGHHH!"

The earth suddenly opened beneath the four soldiers and they tumbled into a cave. The moment they landed, mud and dirt reshaped itself, surrounding them in thick cocoons.

As the boys struggled to fight the earthen mass that had surrounded them, Brandon looked up. "Wait... Helia?"

Not far from them, the artist stood in pretty much the same situation. "Sorry, I would have yelled a warning if I could," he replied. "But he used the mud to gag me."  
"Who did?" Riven asked.

"Me, of course," Valtor said, as he stepped out of the shadows. His coat was long gone and even the fancy shirt and pants looked like they were one stiff breeze from falling apart. Blood and muck matted his hair and bruises covered most of his body. The Agador Box was cradled in his arms, like one would a child, and in his eyes shone a light with feverish intensity. With a gesture, Brandon was dragged over to him. "Now then, soldiers like following orders, don't they? You'll be my messenger to Alfea."  
"And why should I do your dirty work?" the brunette inquired.

"Because if you don't, you and your friends will never see daylight again," Valtor hissed, a slight twitch in his face.

...

Bloom and her friends entered Faragonda's office. "You said it was important, headmistress."  
Inside the office sat Faragonda with a very concerned look on her face, flanked by a very muddy Brandon and a stone-faced Griselda.

"Yes. Important information for _you_ , Bloom," the deputy commented. "But it seems that nowadays, whenever we call on one of you, the rest inevitably follow."  
Musa shrugged. "We're gonna hear about it anyway. Might as well get it straight from the source." She turned to Faragonda. "So what's going on?"  
"Me and the others were out on a mission to gather samples from Lake Roccaluce," Brandon began. "A couple of minutes after we arrived, we saw Helia and went to investigate. It was a trap. One set by Valtor."  
"Wait, what!?" Bloom exclaimed.

"Yeah. He's alive. And pissed," the squire added. "He captured us all, only letting me go so I could bring his message. He says he wants you to go to an abandoned troglodyte city within the next twenty-four hours. In return for undoing the dousing of his dragonflame, he will free my team. If you refuse or if anybody else uses these coordinates to enter the city, he will dispose of the others." The brunette went silent for a moment. "And I don't think he was kidding. Whatever you girls did to him yesterday, it has clearly caused him to completely lose his marbles."

"Oh no," the redhead muttered.

"What do we do?" Stella asked. "We can't just let the boys down."

"Is there any chance that Red Fountain or the Roccalucian Order can mount a rescue mission?" Flora asked.

"Possibly. I have contacted Saladin about it. But due to the threats, they will be extremely wary of trying anything," Faragonda replied. "They will not risk the hostages unless they literally have no other choice."  
"They might even prefer undoing the damage to Valtor's dragonflame," Griselda added.

"But if we do that then all of this will just start over again," Musa said exasperated. "But if we don't he will most likely just kill them all. What do we do?"  
Bloom was silent. "I'll go," she finally said. "Maybe I will have to give him his flame back. Hopefully not, but if that's how it has to be, it's preferable to the others dying."

"Do you think your brother will permit you to bring an escort?" Brandon asked. "Because I don't like the idea of sending you into a trap."

"He'd probably not like it, but he would be an idiot to let that result in the death of the hostages," Aisha said. "Especially since he has to realise that all of this seems like a trap. As long as you don't bring anyone too powerful along, he will probably ignore it in favour of getting his dragonflame restored."

"Which unfortunately means that I will be unable to assist you," Faragonda added sadly. "As will the other teachers of Alfea."

"If that's how it has to be, then fine," Bloom said. "I can probably bring my friends without issue. And Brandon, you have the coordinates. It makes sense that you come along. But is there anyone else who could help that would not set off Valtor? Someone he doesn't know but who is still skilled enough to be an asset?"  
Aisha was silent for a moment. "You know, I have a candidate."

...

"So are half of our meetings just going to involve us charging off into danger?" Nabu asked. "Because that's kinda the vibe I've been getting."

The group had gathered in the Red Fountain owl that Brandon had been flying in and were now heading out towards the coordinates Valtor had given them.

"You better get used to it," Techna said with a grin. "Unless, of course, it's too much for you to handle."

"My lady, I am the adventurous sort," Nabu said with much pride. "Do not think that facing off against a magic madman will dissuade me from spending time with the most beautiful collection of lovely ladies in the multiverse."

"Spirits, you're unbearable," Musa groaned.

"Approaching the coordinates," Brandon said from his position at the helm. "Let's hope he does not take us for a Red Fountain invasion." The ship landed in a grassy meadow and its passengers streamed out.

"Well, this place is, like, tots empty," Stella commented, as she looked around. "You sure this is the right place, honey?"  
"Yep. But do remember, he still has the shade he took from the Staff of the Elements," Brandon pointed out. "There's probably caves and such underground, hidden from prying eyes."

"You are ever so correct," echoed Valtor's voice through the glade.

The group looked around, trying to find the source.

"He's shaping the wind into words," Musa commented. "He's not actually here."  
"Of course I'm not," Valtor huffed. "Especially not after what befell me last time. You have cost me dearly, Phila. My dragonshades, my dragonflame, my associates. But now, you will undo the damage you have done. Especially if you want your beloved prince back."  
"Well, I'm here now, am I not?" Bloom questioned. "Let them go, Valtor."  
The glade was quiet for a moment. "Fine. As a show of goodwill, not that you have earned it, I shall grant you this boon." The earth suddenly split open and Timmy was shot out in a powerful gust of wind. Almost immediately, the hole closed again and the bespectacled sniper landed unconscious on the grass.

"Timmy!" Techna exclaimed and rushed over to him.

"Is he okay?" Flora asked.

"Yeah. He seems fine, just knocked out."  
"Now if you want me to release the rest of them, you will do as I say," returned Valtor's voice. With a rumbling, part of the glade shaped itself into a tunnel entrance. "Enter the tunnel and follow it to its end. You will receive further instructions there."

"Alright then," Brandon said and turned to the others. "I recommend we let Techna stay here with Timmy, just in case. The rest of us should move in."

"Alright," Techna said and nodded. "Good luck then. I suspect you're really going to need it."  
"Yeah. Me too," the squire replied.

The group marched forward and entered the tunnel. Stella raised a hand and banished the darkness of the underground with a ball of sunlight. They continued ever deeper, moist roots piercing the earthen ceiling as reminders of the depths they were entering.

"Phila, I really have to ask," echoed Valtor's voice through the cave. "Can you really not do anything without backup? Do you really need your friends to cheer you on as you return my flame to full strength? Or perhaps you intent for you all pull the same stunt you did below Lake Roccaluce?"  
"You should know how much this seems like a trap, Valtor," Bloom countered. "It would be stupid of me to go here alone."

The dandy sorcerer's mocking laughter echoed through the depths. "As if their presence will make a difference, Phila." It was almost possible to hear him smirk. "But I do not intend to make the same mistake I did last time." Suddenly, the cavern rumbled.

"Oh fuck no, not this again," Musa complained.

Suddenly, the floor, walls and ceiling of the tunnel began spinning like a tumble dryer. The group screamed and yelled as they were hurled around in a giant maelstrom of dirt.

...

The earth shifted and Flora, Aisha, Nabu and Brandon were spat out.

"Well... This has been an unpleasant experience so far," the dark-skinned magi groaned. "I think I'm currently more blue than black."

"Well, encounters with Valtor do tend to include a certain amount of pain," Flora commented. "Now, where are the others?"  
"They are currently being taken care off," Valtor's voice echoed. "You need not concern yourself with them. I have brought you four to the holding cells. Now that Phila is in my grasp, I have no more use of them. You will take them and leave if you know what is good for you."

"Holding cells? Hang on a second, I think my flashlight survived," Brandon commented, as he fumbled with his belt. There was a click and a wide beam of light illuminated the structure they were in. It was a stone building of sorts.

"I take it we have reached the city that currently serves as Valtor's lair," Flora commented.

"But why did he only send us here?" Aisha asked.

"As much as it wounds my pride, I think it's because we're the ones he does not consider threats," Nabu suggested.

"Well, that does give us valuable insight into his priorities," Flora stated. "And if he is currently focusing on the others, it means that we may be able to use the fact that he is underestimating us to our advantage."

"But it still annoys you," Brandon stated.

"But it still annoys me," the Limphean noble admitted. "One cannot help but wonder why he did not think that I was important enough to deal with. But wounded pride aside, I do realise that this is an opportunity. But first, let us go see if he indeed has brought us to our friends."

They walked through the doorway and wound up in a long hallway, iron bars on both side.

"Prison. Well, makes sense I suppose," Nabu said. "Good place to keep people."

"Shh. I think I hear something," Brandon commented. He paused, before hurrying forward and shining his light into a cell. "Well, well. Look who's taking a nap."  
Inside the cell lay the four missing people. Riven groaned as he got up from the floor. "Brandon... Is that you? Good to see oh no, not you," he immediately said, upon noticing Nabu. "What is that fop doing here?"  
"Helping save my best buddies," the dark-skinned magi said enthusiastically.

"Amazing."  
"Wait. Timmy?" Flora said, upon recognising the sharpshooter.

"Yeah?"

"That's weird. Didn't Valtor send him up to the surface?" Aisha questioned.

"Well, Timmy has been here ever since Valtor had us locked up," Helia said. "So I don't know who got sent to the surface, but it wasn't any of us."

Brandon rubbed his chin. "What do you think guys?" he asked, turning to the three others. "Is this the trap or is the Timmy that got sent up to us the trap?"  
"Well, let us try to view this from Valtor's perspective," Flora said. "What would work the best? To send us into a trap and only later reveal that we have already triggered it? Or do something that makes a trap we will later find incredibly obvious?"

There was a moment of silence.

"I going to start working on these bars," Aisha commented, calling some water out of her bottle. "Then we go help Techna."

"Agreed."

...

"Ugh, my head," Stella groaned as she forced herself up, a gentle light flickering in her palm. "What is it with, like, Valtor and his constantly shifting lairs? Why can't he just, like, have a nice cosy place that doesn't transform all the time?"

She stopped complaining for a moment and looked around. Large marble pillars supported a roof high above her, frescoes depicting fauna and flora of the underworld lined the walls and a large pool of water was in the middle. Though one look at it confirmed that it hadn't been cleaned in a while. It looked slightly grimy, with patches of growths spreading from the edges.

"A bathhouse," Stella stated, as she looked around. "Why a bathhouse? Does he think I need a bath?" She wrinkled her nose as she looked at the basin. "Because I think if I took a bath in that, I'd tots come out more dirty than when I started." She took another look around and sighed. "And of course my friends aren't here. Would have been too much to ask for I 'spose."

She started moving, intent on meeting up with her friends again. Most of the place was like the first room she had landed in, unused and with patches of algae, mould and the occasional mushrooms thriving in the humidity. Small cave critters scattered into the shadowy corners as she approached with her light.

"What a yucky place," she commented. Her head turned as she let the sunlight she carried illuminate another basin. She froze. "Helia?"

The black-haired artist hung suspended in two chains over the water, seemingly unconscious.

"Oh no. Helia, can you hear me?" Stella called, as she ran over to one of the pillars where a chain was fastened, taking care not to slip on the slick floor. "Hold on. You're probably going to get a bit wet, but... I suppose that's okay for a soldier. Can you hear me? Helia?" She tripped nervously on her feet, noting his complete unresponsiveness. "Oh, I hope this goes well."

She concentrated a beam of sunlight on a link of the chain, slowly cutting through the metal. The chain snapped and Helia unceremoniously dumped into the stagnant pool.

Immediately, Stella hurried over to the other chain and began pulling on it. "Wow. You're actually kinda light," she commented, before the empty manacle popped out of the murky water. The blonde princess stared at it. "Wait, wha..."

A powerful spray of water lanced into her face and launched her back.

She landed hard on the floor and began coughing the foul tasting liquid out of her mouth. "What... What are...?"  
A shape manifested out of the water's surface. It was roughly shaped like Helia, but made from the grimy water.

"Oh," the blonde stated. "That's no go..." Another jet of water struck her and smashed her back into the wall with the force of a fire hose.

Stars danced before the Solarian princess' eyes as a pulsating pain bloomed on the back of her head. She coughed again as she got up, the ring on her finger transforming into her sceptre. "Okay, you aquatic bully. I've tots had enough of you."  
The water elemental lashed out with another spray of water, but this time Stella was ready. She dodged behind a pillar, letting the attack splash harmlessly against its marble surface, before jumping out and firing a laser blast with a triumphant cry.

The ray went straight through the creature, slightly burning some algae that was churning inside it.

"Oh. That didn't work," the princess muttered disappointed.

The elemental swiped its arm, the limb lengthening in the process. It smashed against the blonde, knocking her down on the floor again. Then, it blasted her with another spray of water, smashing her into the wall.

She coughed and tried to get up, but the liquid enemy reshaped the water on the floor into a long tentacle of grimy water, which wrapped around her ankle. With a scream, the blonde was suddenly hoisted into the air, before being smacked down into the pool.

The air was smashed out of her lungs and she could feel her ribs buckle under the force of impact. She tried to get up, but all of the water around her dragged her down. She felt like she was trying to swim through molasses as the water elemental forced her down onto the bottom of the basin. Her lungs burned and only through pure force of will did Stella prevent herself from gasping for air.

But she couldn't move. The watery being forced her against the bottom. She was going to drown. Her brain struggled to process what was going on as her body screamed for oxygen. Her hand gripped tightly around her staff as she desperately conjured blast after blast of light and shot it through the pool.

But it didn't work. The light harmlessly passed through the watery being. If she could even hit it. It was completely invisible down in the water.

Her vision blurred and darkened. She was out of options. Her enemy was immune to her magic. It was over.

She felt something dig into her back as she was held down. It felt like a chain.

The chain she had cut.

A desperate idea formed in her mind. She focused on the staff, focusing on the dragonflame within it. She felt herself grow weaker as she began channelling all of her own energy into the staff, mixing it with the magic in the ancient flame. Light began gathering in the top.

The elemental paid the sceptre no heed, focusing on keeping her down.

Bubbles began forming around the staff and ascended through the murky liquid.

Stella felt the pressure on her lighten a bit. Then the water around her shifted, as the elemental tried to rip the staff from her grasp while trying to pry her fingers open.

But it was too late.

Stella released all the built up energy on one concentrated explosion of searing sunlight. The entire pool lit up and shone with an intense flare. The water roiled as it began boiling and vaporising.

And then the light dimmed.

Stella lay gasping at the bottom of the now waterless, though quite steamy pool. She just lay there for a while, taking a moment to appreciate being able to breathe. Then slowly, despite her body protesting, she got up. Using her staff as support, she began looking for a way out of the bathhouse.

...

"Dammit, what did he do to you?" Techna muttered as she inspected Timmy again. She had propped him up against a rock and tried to discern what was keeping him unconscious, but so far, she had found nothing. "Haven't seen you this out of it since you drank an entire cup of my special mixture." She rubbed her chin. "Maybe he did just give you some really strong booze. You never could hold your liquor." She looked back at the ship. "Maybe they got something on board I can use to figure this out. You just stay here Databoy and I'll be right back."

She had made it halfway over to the owl when suddenly, a powerful blast of wind struck her between her shoulder blades. She was launched forward, smacking face first into the ground as she skidded across the grass. She forced herself up, spitting out some blood from a wound on her lip, as she turned around to look at Timmy.

The bespectacled sharpshooter was now standing up, though his eyes were looking strangely empty. Then slowly, his body began fading, until he was almost completely transparent.

"Aw shit. Valtor's played us for a fool again, hasn't he?" Techna asked, as she got up. "That's disappointing."

The air elemental lashed out with a powerful gust that struck Techna right in the chest. She tried holding up her arms in defence, but was launched back, rolling across the ground.

"You know," she gasped while forcing herself up. "I was always under the impression that one could only blow a guy. But you sure are proving a girl wrong, aren't you?"

The windy being did not reply, as it unleashed another gust. This one caught the scarred girl and lifted her into the air. She crashed down into a bush, its thorns slicing through her skin and cloth.

"Ouh, ouch, fuck, owie," she said, as she forcefully extracted herself from the plant. "Okay you. Now the gloves come off." She drew her gun and fired a couple of times. The bullets entered the whirling mass of wind for a couple of seconds, before being ejected in random directions. Techna stood still for a moment, before looking at her gun with a rather sheepish expression. "Why the fuck did I think that would work?"

The wind elemental attacked again, encasing her in a fierce whirlwind. Screaming, she was lifted into the air before being smacked down again. Then, before she could get up on her own, the thing grabbed her again and swung her down into the ground with force. Then she was lifted up again and smashed down for a third time.

She coughed and gasped as the elemental being let her go again. Her insides felt like they had been liquefied and she had hit a rock on her second close encounter with the ground, resulting in a sharp pain in her now broken left arm.

She tried to crawl away, eyeing the owl. Before she got far, wind enveloped her form and she was suddenly spun around in the air. Then she came crashing down again on her back. From the numerous spots of burning pain, she was pretty sure a couple of her ribs had fractured, though it was hard to say.

The elemental loomed over her, barely visible except from the particles of dust and grass that whirled around inside it.

"Ah, fuck," Techna groaned, before her head was enveloped in a whirling mass of wind. She struggled as all oxygen was removed from her face. She tried to crawl or roll away, but the air elemental persistently followed her, keeping her face enveloped at all times.

The scarred girl bit her lip as her eyes watered. Sooner or later the air in her lungs would run out and then she wouldn't have long before asphyxiation would set it. It struck her as a rather unpleasant and unfulfilling way to die.

She looked around, trying to see through the whirling cloud of debris and dust that encapsulated her head. She needed something that could hurt the thing. But it was made of air. You couldn't punch or shoot air. You couldn't electrocute it or burn it. Fighting that thing was like trying to bludgeon a tornado. It would only result in agony for the one trying.

But the image stuck in her mind. Like a tornado.

She could feel her lungs starting to burn. She was almost out of time. She rolled over again, counting on the elemental following her to keep up its killing wind. She reached out with her magic. She usually worked with things right in front of her, so she was a bit unfamiliar with affecting things at a distance. She could feel circuitry, wires and mechanisms take shape in her mind as her magic mingled with it. She could feel the buttons, the fuses and the signals dancing within the computers.

And she reached forward, plugging at them like strings, feeling the energy shift as the mechanism obeyed her. She felt in her mind the final button press as her work was done.

She rolled over on her back and stared at her assailant. With the last air in her lungs, she called: "This outta blow your mind."  
There was a whish and suddenly a missile plunged into the elemental's airy body, having been fired from the owl. The large object was big enough to temporarily disrupt the winds created by the elemental and Techna got up on her legs, dashing away from the temporarily stunned being.

Then the missile went off.

A powerful shockwave obliterated the wind elemental as its form was shattered across the entire area. The powerful wave of energy caught Techna, lifted her off her feet and sent her rolling hard and painfully across the ground.

"FUCK! SHIT! PISS!" she yelled, as she bounced across the earth. Finally, she came to a rest. "Dammit, fucking, pain, ouch, shit," she kept cursing, as she nursed a broken arm. The limb was now bent in a quite unnatural angle from the impacts.

The magenta-haired fairy looked up to survey the damage. A crater had formed where the elemental had been blown to smithereens. The nearby owl's windows were shattered and most of the front looked kinda compressed, the metallic surface wrinkling in several places.

"Alright then," she groaned, as she got up. Her every muscle protested, demanding she took a moment to rest. But stubbornly, she limped towards the ship. She figured that Valtor had probably buried himself down there somewhere, but she had an idea for how she could counter that. There was just a couple of things she would need to pick up. With a smirk, she walked on-board, quietly telling herself: "Let's go repay Fancypants for sending that blow-up doll instead of my boyfriend."

...

Musa slowly opened her eyes. Then the tickling in her mouth and nose became too much. She sneezed and coughed as her body violently expelled the particles of dust and dirt from her cavities. She took a couple of deep, ragged breaths. "I... I really... Don't care... For that... Prettyboy asshole… Right now."

She got up and looked around. She had landed in a large cavern, specifically in a large patch of mushrooms and thick moss. Around her were dirty and dusty paths that snaked between similar patches of underworld flora, much of which was spilling over the edges. "What, so this is some sort of park?" she asked no one in particular, as she left the fungi bed. She walked down the rocky path, trying to findeither he friends or an exit.

The park was completely dark, though her ability to echo locate gave her a rough idea of how the area looked. Still not enough to prevent her from occasionally stubbing her toe, but enough so that she could get around without falling into a hole or something. Unfortunately, it was ill suited for discerning things at a distance, so she just had to hope she had picked a good direction.

As she wandered, she noticed something unusual. It kinda had the shape of a person, though from the way her echoes acted, it probably wasn't the case. She approached the figure, noting how still it stood. "Seems like a statue," she finally commented, as she allowed herself to touch it. "Heh, it almost looks like Riven." She paused, as a weird thought crossed her mind. "Wait, why would troglodytes have a statue of...?"

The backhand of the statue smashed against her face and the shocked Musa stumbled back. She was momentarily dazed and barely dodged out of the way, as the stone warrior tried to smash her again. She ducked under another blow and kicked her opponent in the stomach. She jumped back with a couple of well-chosen curse words, as a dull throbbing pain pounded in her toes.

"Kinda hoped you were just a guy in stone armour," she commented. "But no, you're an elemental spirit aren't you?"

Her opponent responded by picking up a huge rock and throwing it at her. The stone smashed into her midsection and Musa buckled. Then the earth elemental charged her and smashed her head with its rocky fist. The black-haired girl was knocked back and fell into a bed of fungi. She coughed, feeling warm, metallic liquid in her mouth and spat it out. Some probing with her tongue confirmed that two of her teeth had also gone missing.

She sensed the elemental charging again and she blasted him with a concentrated sound wave. She could sense its stone skin fracturing, but it was not enough to stop the earthen brute. It jumped into the air with surprising grace and plummeted towards her elbow first. Musa leapt for safety and the stone warrior landed and sunk into the earth like it was water.

The black-haired musician blinked as her attacker vanished.

Then it jetted out of the dirt right in front of her, both of its fists impacting against her chest. She was launched into the air and landed hard on the stone path. Light exploded in her head as her skull impacted against the stone and her breathing became erratic and painful. She could feel her heart beat wildly.

She staggered back on her feet and immediately sensed her opponent charging towards her. She raised her hands and fired a lance of sonic energy. The attack splintered its arm, but did nothing to slow the brute. Musa leapt to the side as it charged through the spot where she had just been. She got ready to fire another attack, but the elemental immediately sunk into the ground.

Fearing another attack like the previous one, she made a run for it.

The stone warrior leapt out of the ground not far behind her, its arm restored. With a swing of its limb, it launched the rock it was holding. The stone projectile smashed against the back of Musa's knee and she fell to the ground, as she felt something pop out of its place.

She whimpered as she cradled her dislocated knee. She tried to force herself up, but her leg was throbbing with agony.

Then she heard rhythmic pounding as the earth elemental charged her again. She tried to drag herself away, but knew she was too slow. At the last moment, she blasted herself out of the elemental's path with a sonic blast. She landed roughly in a nearby mushroom bed, her escape from her attacker clumsy and uncontrolled.

Part of her knew she couldn't keep this up. The elemental could restore itself too quickly and hit too hard. She rolled around, trying to get her bearings, when suddenly something poked into her back. She winced in pain. Something in her backpack dug painfully into her sore spine. Something long and slightly pointy.

She heard the rhythmic pounding as the elemental brute charged her again. Out of options, she ripped her bag open and tore the flute from it. With the stone warrior almost on her, she turned and blasted into the instrument with all her might, focusing all the magic she could into strengthening it.

The stone warrior leapt at her. It never touched the ground.

The shockwave hit it, shattering it to dust and forcing it back in a spray of fine powder, as the sound of the flute echoed throughout the underground realm.

Musa gasped as she put the instrument down. Her ears were ringing something fierce, though her own magic had protected her from the brunt of it. She just sat there for a moment, fearing that her opponent had survived her attack.

Noticing nothing, she grabbed her leg and with a surge of strength roughly forced it to pop back into place. She screamed in agony as it did. After taking a quick breather, she forced herself up. Her leg still throbbed with pain and she had to move carefully to not overexert it, but she could move.

And that meant she could find an exit.

...

A flame lit up the dark, allowing Bloom to look around. It looked like she was in a cellar of sorts. She growled, before yelling: "WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?"

"Oh? Are you saying you actually came here to undo what you had done and not to try to stop me like at Lake Roccaluce?" came Valtor's disbelieving question.

The redhead paused. "Well... No," she admitted. "Still, where are my friends?"  
"Elsewhere," Valtor replied. "Don't worry about them. I have already taken good care of them."  
"That does not make me feel better."  
"It wasn't supposed to, I can assure you."  
Bloom snorted dissatisfied, before inspecting her surroundings. Nothing but wooden shelves and empty pots. Noticing a door, she exited, finding herself in some sort of complex. The rooms were small and somewhat cramped, with more shelves and pots. She figured they were some sort of storage rooms. "Where are you, Valtor? Show yourself."  
"I am close by, Phila. But before we meet again, there's... Well, I'm not going to spoil the surprise. But you are getting closer." Bloom gritted her teeth and hurried through the subterranean rooms. "It's getting hotter, Phila. Hotter. Hotter." The Dominian princess charged around a corner, spurred on by her sibling's taunt, then stopped and gasped.

Chained to a wall was Sky, the prince seemingly unconscious. "What did you do to him?" she angrily asked.

"To Sky? Nothing much. Captured him, locked him up, took some precautions," Valtor replied in the same tone of voice one would use to read a grocery list. "You know, the usual."

"Going to give you some of the usual," the redhead growled, as she hurried over to the seemingly unconscious blond prince. "Hang in there, Sky. I should be able to get those manacles of you in..."

There was an explosion and Bloom was hurled back. She smashed into a wall, an old pot crashing against her head. Her vision blurred, she tried to focus on the bright light that now illuminated the room.

"By the way. That's not Sky," Valtor elaborated, as the fiery creature slithered forward. "I had to find new associates after you managed to get the Usurpers locked up again, Phila. I was planning on busting them out, but they have been taken away from here, so I'll have to do that later. In the meantime, I found out having the dragonshade from the Staff of the Elements makes it easy to influence these beings. Convincing a couple of them to join up with me and pose as some of your boyfriends was easy."

"Wait. Some of our... What?" Bloom asked confused, as she forced herself up.  
"I did say that I had taken care of your friends, didn't I?" came the reply. "Have fun, Phila. I'll see you up ahead."

The fire elemental hissed, before lashing out with a flaming whip. Bloom focused, trying to use her own magic to protect herself. But the elemental was more or less an incarnation of a fire knack. Even with her powers, the redhead still felt the stinging lash of searing hot flames against her arm and she gasped in pain. A long hole had been burnt in her cloth, the skin beneath red and raw.

The flaming creature pulled back its whip again. Bloom concentrated, feeling her dragonflame blaze in her as she struggled to divert the whip. At the last moment she managed to force the elongated flame into the wall.

The fire elemental crackled in dissatisfaction and its flames intensified. The redhead hurried and ducked out of the door, just as it exploded in a wave of flames. The detonation caught Bloom in the back and she was launched forwards. She landed hard to the floor, yowling as her teeth were knocked into the sensitive flesh of her tongue. She could taste blood and felt the blistering pain on her back, her blouse barely managing to cling to her body in a few, scorched strings of material.

She forced herself up, as the elemental being surged after her. It manifested a fireball, which it launched at her. She raised her hands defensively, hoping to divert or catch the flame. But temporarily weakened from the fall, she did not have the strength.

The searing fire exploded against her palms and Bloom was launched back down the hallways, colliding with another wall. Tears trickled down her cheeks and she cradled her seared hands, the burnt flesh pulsating with sickening agony.

The elemental assailant prepared another fireball.

Bloom scrambled to her legs and dodged down the corridor as it threw its burning projectile. The flames blackened the wall on impact.

Bloom kept running back down the hallway. A glance over her shoulder confirmed that the flaming being was still in pursuit, filling the corridor with fire and heat as it surged after her.

She looked forward and stopped. In her haste to get away from the fiery fiend, she had retraced her steps. But the room she had come from only had one exit. She would be trapped. She turned around, hoping to spot another way.

Another fireball impacted against her chest and exploded, launching her back. She crashed into an old urn, breaking it. The sharp corners of clay dug into her skin, letting small streams of blood loose. She gasped as she extracted herself from the mess, staring in panic as the elemental slithered into the room.

She couldn't do anything. The elemental itself was too strong-willed for her to throw around and she could barely divert its attacks at her best. And now, she was far from at her best. Patches of seared flesh ached on her body and pieces of pottery dug into her side. If Aisha had been here, she could probably have extinguished it or maybe Flora could have smothered it with some roots. Maybe if she could use a ritual to conjure a rain cloud, she herself could end it, but that would take time.

Time her fiery opponent would definitely not let her have.

But her own flames would do nothing but strengthening it. Something inside Bloom's mind clicked. She was well aware of how fire worked. Her father was a firefighter and therefore had always made sure that his family knew how to protect themselves. An idea formed.

Bloom concentrated, allowing the dragonflame to blaze in her. She had the power to repel as well as create fire. As she created a sort of magical cage around it, the elemental was temporarily stuck. She could feel it bashing against her magic. It was only thanks to the dragonflame that she could even keep it back. And she wouldn't be able to for long.

But she didn't need long.

A roaring inferno sprung to life inside the cage she had created. She focused all her power on filling every inch of the cage with fire. She felt the struggle against the cage intensify and she gritted her teeth as she forced the fire-resistant cage to remain.

And then the struggling suddenly ceased.

Gasping in exhaustion, Bloom let the flames fade. The fire elemental was gone. By filling all the available space with her fire, she had starved it of oxygen, snuffing it out.

"Well played, Phila," echoed Valtor's voice. "I did not expect you to pull such a move."

"My... My father's a firefighter... You jackass," Bloom hoarsely replied, as she stumbled out of the room. "And now... Now I'm coming for you."

"My, what language," the voice of Valtor replied. "How uncouth for a princess. But very well, as I said, I'm not far from here. We'll meet soon enough."

...

The dandy magi tapped his fingers against the armrest of his chair, an irritated expression on his face. After Bloom had finished her opponent, he had tried to get a sense of how the other elementals were faring. In short, they weren't. Each of the elemental spirits he had coaxed into helping him had been obliterated and now he had lost track of the girls. He had reshaped parts of the city to prevent them from getting to him, but he would have preferred if the elementals had succeeded in defeating them. His neck creaked slightly as he looked to the side. Daphne's mask lay on a table not far from him. He had brought it along when he relocated to the abandoned city's town hall, though even he wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe he hoped that Bloom's presence would convince the undead nymph to show up again. Or maybe having it here just brought a small measure of comfort. It could be both.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by the double doors of his lair being forced open. Bloom stumbled in, her hair matted with sweat and blood, her clothes ruined and flesh blistering in many places.

"Ah, we meet again, Phila," the sorcerer commented. "Face to face. You have much to answer for."

"I have... I have a lot to answer for?" the redhead repeated. "Are you... Are you kidding me? You just sicced a living inferno on me."  
"Yes, it must be so hard to have somebody force you through an agonizing, life-threatening and physically exhausting crucible of pain," Valtor dryly responded. "I can sympathise."

"Hey, nobody forced you to come to Alfea."  
"First of all, you still recovered the water star with the intent of having somebody use it on me. Second, nobody forced you to gather up your little strike team to get at me."  
Bloom paused. She had to admit, he had a point. "Well, at least I didn't know you would go through all that. I just thought it would turn your flame off."  
"Does ignorance protect one from responsibility?" Valtor replied.

"It did when your acts caused Techna to go to Omega," the redhead shot back. "At least, according to yourself."

Valtor huffed, but remained silent. He had to admit, she had a point. "Very well then. I suppose we both have something on each other. Nobody is flawless, after all. But we can still separate in good faith. Restore my flame, Bloom, and I'll trouble you no more. I would actually have left long ago, had I not lost my flame to the water star."  
"So you can, what, go wreak havoc again?" the redhead challenged. "Go steal some more dragonshades? Break out the Usurpers? And then what? You said you could undo the damage to Domino, but what does that really change? Do you really believe everyone will instantly forgive you just because you cleaned up after the mess you made, just because your mom and dad demanded that you..."  
"IGNORANT CHILD!" Valtor roared, as he hammered his fist into the armrest, splintering it. "YOU KNOW NOTHING!" He took a deep breath, as he struggled to keep his anger under control. In a low, angry hissing, he continued with: "You know nothing, Phila. I don't know what Daphne told you specifically, but it is clear that you do not grasp the situation at all. If you did, you would at least show a minimum of the gratitude I am due."

"What, because your revenge driven curse spree accidentally liberated me?" Bloom asked. "That's why I'm supposed to be grateful?"  
"No," the sorcerer continued, his voice softening a bit. "Because the entire point of it was getting you out of there."  
The Dominian princess stopped. "Wait, what?"

"Indeed. Allow me to enlighten you, Bloom." Valtor adjusted himself. "I assume that Daphne told you of what happened up until she died?"  
"Yeah," the redhead replied uncertainly.

"Then let me tell you about what happened afterwards. As you might imagine, I was devastated by her death. We had grown very close and truth be told, I didn't really have anyone else I could be close to. Certainly not our parents, who seemed more busy with making sure _you_ had everything you wanted, showering you with care and love," he added venomously. "But I did have contacts. During my education, I had built a circle of associates who respected me. And through them, I learnt of the Coven. And through them, I contacted the organization, soon after becoming a member. And can you guess why?"  
"So you could get revenge?"  
A visible twitch appeared on Valtor's face. He took a deep breath, before continuing with: "Why does everyone assume that? No, because I became enamoured with part of their philosophy."  
"About the superiority of witches?" Bloom asked confused.

The remaining armrest creaked ominously as Valtor's grip tightened. "Yes. Yes, Phila. I sought out an organization because they believed in the superiority of a type of magi that I was not," he replied, every word laden with sarcasm. "Makes a lot of sense, I have to agree. No, they believed that people should be rewarded for their skills and efforts. Their organization was very meritocratic. They welcomed me, not only for my magical abilities, but also for my political skills and knowledge. I could gain them info and keep them safe through my ties to royalty. And while there, I also met Guinevere. We became close friends." He paused, as if temporarily lost in a fond memory. "But I still had to keep up public appearance. I would be locked up if my connections to the organization were discovered. So I still studied and I still did my duties as Crown Prince Valtor." His expression darkened. "And I bitterly realised that if Daphne had been part of something like the Coven, she would never had died. If she had been allowed to be respected for what she did, rather than held to some ridiculously archaic standard then... Then..." He sighed. "But such could haves do not really matter. She was gone and I was left behind." He paused. "And then it happened."  
"It?"  
"Yes. See, Father had tried to arrange a marriage between Daphne and the member of a family from Eraklyon. With her sudden and tragic death, several agreements were in danger. And our father decided that you could fix that." A scowl appeared on his face. "I managed to overhear a conversation between him and our... Well, new mother. He wanted you to have an arranged marriage to a kid named Thoren. To preserve those deals. And what did that woman reply? That they would take a look at it. TAKE A LOOK AT IT!" he suddenly roared, as his temper flared again, causing Bloom to jump. He took a deep breath and continued with: "You would have ended up just like Daphne. A bargaining chip. A trophy to be bought and sold. And it would never matter what talents, dreams or anything else you had. Your duty would be to be sold like a pet to some noble boy to ensure some vague economic benefit for the kingdom." His features softened again. "And I couldn't allow that to happen again. I had to get you out. I contacted the Coven, got an audience with the Ancestral Witches. We came up with a plan. While our parents were away for a meeting with the Company of Light, I would manage a ritual that would worsen Domino's winter dramatically and banish half its population into stasis in the Obsidian Prison. With the country thrown into confusion, the Ancestral Witches themselves would break into the castle and whisk you away. With one blow, I would let our parents feel some of the pain they put me and Daphne through, while at the same time bringing you to safety. I would have raised you and taught you to be proud of yourself and your gifts." He paused. "Your adopted parents on Earth certainly succeeded at that, so that's something. But let's refocus on what happened after I had cast the ritual. Time passed and they didn't return. Worried, I managed to get into our castle. And I found nothing but blood and ice." He paused. "I had no idea what had happened. I know now that Daphne had sent you the Earth, but all I could find of you back then were some toys. And I couldn't contact the Ancestral Witches. Everything began coming apart. I realised I needed more time. That something had gone horribly wrong and I had to fix it. I returned to my chambers and cast the ritual again. The winter deepened and the rest of Domino's population were placed in magical stasis. I now had all the time I needed. If you had been hurt during the operation , you would now be protected until I could find you." His expression darkened. "But as you know, Griffin had learnt of the plan and she did not approve at all. She directed the Company of Light to where I was and, weakened by the double ritual, I was captured. And the rest, as they say, is history." He paused. "Do you see now, Bloom? I actually ended up protecting you. Sure, parts of it were beyond my control and not at all how I intended things to work out, but your life would have been much more miserable had I not decided to try to save you."

"That may be the case. And you know what, seeing how I could have ended, I am happy with my upbringing." Bloom paused. "But that does not make what you did right. You allied with an out of control group of magical bullies, captured an entire nation at least partially out of spite, proceeded to wreak God knows how much havoc across the multiverse and you have hurt me and the people I care about on multiple occasions. You're not in the right, Valtor. You need to stop and you need to do it now."  
The feverish glare in Valtor's eyes intensified as he scowled. "So even knowing this, you continue to stand in my way, Phila. After everything I have done for you. After all that, you continue to interfere with my designs." He rose from his chair. Spiteful venom filled his voice as he continued with: "You are so much our father's daughter that it sickens me."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Bloom commented dryly.

Valtor's teeth scoured against each other, as the angry fire in his eyes were stoked. He took a couple of menacing steps forward. "You ought to know better than to provoke me, Phila. I still possess the capacity to..."

The wall behind him suddenly detonated with tremendous force. The entire back wall of the chamber was ripped apart and large chunks of the ceiling immediately collapsed. Bloom raised her arms defensively, feeling the stings of dozens of pebbles impacting against her skin. Slowly, she lowered her hand and stared at the scene in shock. Roughly half the hall had been demolished and now lay in a pile of rubble.

"What just happened?" she asked herself, now thoroughly confused.

"Wow, that stuff's awesome!" yelled Techna, as she and the others appeared in the hole.

"Praise modern technology and its capacity for indiscriminate obliteration," Nabu commented, as he looked into the room. "Ah, fair lady Bloom. How are you? You look like you've quite literally been to the Abyss and back."

"So do you," Bloom commented, upon seeing the beaten up group. "What happened? Where did you come from?"  
"Well, Valtor sent us to be beaten up by some elemental freaks," Musa commented weakly, being supported by Riven. "But Techna here dragged some barrier busters and one of the shockwave missiles from the owl down here. With them, we managed to get in here."  
"And when we located Valtor, we used the missile to set up an improvised bomb while he was monologuing," Brandon continued. "Making sure you were out of the immediate area of effect of course. Risky, I know, but with this guy... Yeah, not keen on taking any more chances."

"I guess that is for the best," Bloom commented and starred at the rubble. "We should probably dig him out. I doubt that was enough to kill him." She bent over and lifted a rock, revealing the amber Agador Box beneath. She gently pulled open the lid, letting the final dragonshade fly away. "There. It is done."

There was a sudden rumble. With a roar of frustration and anger, Valtor forced his way out of the rubble. "THAT'S IT! YOU'RE... You're... You... You..." His voice trailed off as he saw the now completely empty box. His lips kept moving, though no sound passed them. He just stood there, transfixed with a look of utter loss.

"It's over, Valtor," Brandon sharply said. "Surrender and come along peacefully and we will not have to use force."

The dandy magi just kept staring. And as Bloom looked him in the eyes, she saw as his last tenuous grasp on sanity violently snapped. The feverish, maddened rage that had haunted his eyes blazed into a lunatic inferno. His mouth twisted into a predatory snarl as a low, rumbling growl emitted from his throat. And then he began laughing loudly, a crazed, high-pitched, hollow laughter deprived of all comfort and cheer. He grasped his head as he twitched. Everyone else sent uneasy glances to each other, unsure of what to make of the scene that was playing out before them. "Heh heh. Phil-Phila," he chuckled, as he glared at his half-sibling. "I... Heh heh. I have a-a little surprise. Ju-just for... Heh heh. For you. Without my-my flame... Hahaha. I cannot make my marks. But I can... Hihihi... I can still use tho-those I have al-already made." He broke into a feverishly pitched laughter again and something glowed on his forehead.

His mark.

He was still laughing as his back and shirt exploded into pale, bat-like wings that folded around him like a cape. Still laughing as horns erupted around the top his head like a twisted crown. Laughing madly as globules of hardened blood bloomed from his neck, hand and body, forming morbid jewellery and his skin hardened to a marble-like perfection.

He unfurled his new wings and leapt at Bloom, a twisted mixture of a laugh and growl exploding from his throat. Instinctively, the redhead raised a hand and blasted her attacking sibling with a fireball, forcing him back. He flew a little bit before correcting his trajectory with a beat of his wings.

"Dammit, should have known he wouldn't make this easy," Brandon grumbled, as he drew his blade. As the crazed crown-prince looked ready to jump the redhead again, he charged forward and swung his blade. Valtor raised an arm to defend and the blade barely chipped through his hardened skin, letting a little stream of blood flow. The transformed sorcerer responded by kicking him in the stomach, forcing the squire back.

As the brunette stumbled, Sky and Riven both jumped in, swinging their weapons at Valtor. He barely moved to defend, letting the weapons chip away at his armour, before lashing out with his clawed hands. Sky managed to block with his shield, but Riven was thrown to the ground, a nasty gash on his arm. With a triumphant howl, Valtor kicked Sky's shield, forcing the prince back, before jumping at the fallen Riven, who was still trying to get up.

A high-pitched note echoed through the room, as a lance of sound smashed into Valtor's side, blasting him away from Riven and fracturing his armoured epidermis. The maddened sorcerer smashed into a wall and fell to the floor, but jumped up again, unwilling or maybe even incapable of caring about his wounds.

Bloom bit her lip as Valtor charged into combat again, seemingly just focused on causing as much damage as possible before dying. She focused her fireball and stepped in to assist Sky and Flora, who had gone into melee, when her foot hit something. She looked down. It was Daphne's mask.

Suddenly, Bloom saw her ghostly sister inside her mind. The edges of her once shining form was frayed and small pieces were constantly drifting away.

"Bloom? Can you hear me?" Daphne asked, her once clear voice almost nothing but a faint echo.

"Yes, Daphne. What's wrong?" Bloom asked her concerned.

"Never mind me. We have to focus on Valtor."  
"There's nothing that can be done. He's gone completely mad."  
Daphne's face became saddened. "No, Bloom. He has been mad all this time. His mind poisoned by his upbringing, by the expectation, by grief. Only his willpower kept him together and now, in the face of utter defeat, that will to fight has vanished, taking his grasp of himself with it. But he's still there, Bloom. Withdrawn deep into the shadowy recesses of his mind. But I can reach him. I just need you to give me the time to reach out to him."  
"But he's trying to kill us," the redhead replied.

"Bloom, if there is the slightest chance he can be saved, if there is even the possibility that we can free him from his own madness, isn't that worth it?" she asked. "Even if he wasn't your half-brother?"  
Bloom bit her lip. "We'll try," she said. "But Daphne, what is happening to you? Why are you looking like that?"  
"My time here is coming to an end, Bloom," the ghost stated matter-of-factly. "But before I leave, I have one last task. To either bring my brother back or sacrifice what's left of me trying."

Suddenly, a bright and shining light erupted from the mask and ascended into the air, before shooting towards the crazed Valtor. It smashed into the back of his head and merged into him, not that the rampaging sorcerer noticed.

"The fuck was that all about?" Riven asked confused.

"It's Daphne. She's trying to cure him," Bloom called, as she stepped forward, fireball in hand. "She needs us to distract him."  
"So we have to keep him alive while he's trying to kill us?" Stella asked. "Fantastic. This won't be easy."  
Valtor leapt again at Sky, only for a bola to suddenly swing around him, entangling his wings and causing him to fall to the ground.

"Actually, not killing is surprisingly easy," Helia offered.

...

Daphne felt herself slink through the fractures in her brother's mind, seeping through the rifts in a maddened tangle. She sunk into the darkness beneath, finding that one small pinprick of light inside. And sitting there, seemingly lost in morose thought, was Valtor. Immaculately dressed and with well-done hair. Valtor, as he saw himself, or at least wanted to.

"Daphne?" his voice echoed weakly, as he looked up. "You've finally decided to grace me with your presence again."  
"Apologies, Brother. I did not intend to leave you alone for so long. But I've been running low on energy lately and after your flame was dimmed, I could not find you in your dreams. It took almost all I had to come here now."  
"Well, your timing is impeccable. It's all over," he replied despondently. "I've lost everything. I have nothing left. I dreamed of undoing the curse of Domino, but now all that will happen is that I will be put down and the name Valtor only remembered as a bogeyman."  
"Brother, while your quest is indeed over, this does not have to be the end," Daphne insisted. "You still have so much. Even without the dragonflame, you're still gifted. Even without Domino, you still have a people you belong to. You have so many things, Valtor. I wish you could see it." She sighed. "But you can't. And therefore, you never have enough."  
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Valtor asked, sounding slightly insulted. "Do you think this was all done out of greed?"  
"No. I know now that is not the case." The spectre tilted her head. "But why do you think you did it? Do _you_ even know the answer to that?"  
"Of course I do," Valtor replied. "I would restore Domino and undo the damage done by our parents. I would make everything great again. I would show all those people that they were wrong. About both me and you-"

"Yes. I am sure that by going on a rampage, stealing from several realms and almost maiming your own little sister, you will make people stop thinking of you as a monster," Daphne replied dryly. "Valtor, this was never the right path and you know it. You've gone to great pains to minimize the harm you've done. Why? Because somewhere, deep inside, you knew that it was wrong."  
"I DID WHAT I HAD TO!" he yelled. "I... I had to. How else was I going to restore Domino? How else was I going to stop them from sending me back to Omega?" He folded his arms, despair in his eyes. "But it doesn't matter now. It's over. You can go congratulate Phila. She will get the kingdom and everyone will love her. Just like Dad and his wife wanted."

"I won't. Or rather, I can't," the ghost replied sadly. "Valtor, I do not have much time left. Even as we speak, I can feel myself fading."  
"Fading? Wait, what?" Valtor asked, worry in his eyes. "No, wait, you're..."  
"I've had a long life. And a long unlife as well. I have few regrets, but I accept that my time has come," she said. "But Valtor, before I can move on, I have to make you face the truth. You have deluded yourself into thinking of this as a righteous crusade to correct a great wrong. But the truth is, Brother, that what you really want is respect. And why wouldn't you? After a lifetime of always being told that you could always do better, that nothing was ever good enough, of course you would hunger for approval." Her face fell into saddened folds. "But the path you have chosen is wrong. It's poisonous and vile and you know it. And that's why, even if you restored Domino, became king and was loved by all the realms as the great ruler Valtor, you still would not get the respect you so desperately want from the person you need it from the most."

"And who is that person?" Valtor snarled. "You? Phila?"  
"Yourself," Daphne replied.

Valtor froze.

Daphne focused on him, her voice taking on a strict tone. "You have lost the ability to respect yourself, to admire your own accomplishments. You want to be a great magi, but no matter what skills you learn, it's not enough. You want to be an accomplished leader, but no matter what you do, it's not enough. And on top of that, by doing things you know are wrong, you're only making it worse. You cannot dig yourself deep enough to reach some other side, Valtor. And because you've driven yourself deeper and deeper down, trying to find some magical enlightenment at the bottom of your pit, you have now sealed yourself inside your mind as your body is trying to tear your only living family to shreds." Her face softened. "Valtor, if you cannot see the greatness in you, the potential for good things you have, then at least trust me when I say that I have always admired you. I have always looked up to you. And that is why it hurts me so much to see my beloved brother suffer so. Even more to see him make others suffer because of it. You're better than this, Valtor. But I cannot fix you. Only you can undo this, one step at the time. Or is this how you really want to be? Valtor the bloodthirsty monster?"  
The sorcerer was silent for a long while. "Every time I try to deny your words, I find myself unable to," he said in a hollow voice. "I've... I've been such a fool. A deluded, pathetic fool." He stood up and looked into a full-length mirror that had appeared next to him. "I always wanted to be great. But I never felt I had reached that greatness." He touched the mirror and its surface rippled, the reflection changing into his monstrous form. "And in my search, I've become everything but great. I no longer know if I can become the person I want to be." He paused, before turning to Daphne. "But for you, Sister, I will try."

"That is all anyone can do," she replied.

The dandy magi nodded and closed his eyes in concentration. The small light that surrounded him began spreading.

...

Outside Valtor's mind, the fight was still going on. The transformed magi had received many nicks and wounds, none of them too dangerous. Likewise, the others had received a couple of slashes, but though nobody was dying, they were running low on energy.

"For fuck's sake, we cannot keep this up," Riven insisted. "If we just keep nicking him like this, he will outlast at least one of us."  
"But Daphne's still in there," Bloom said. "She might still pull this off."  
"But Riven does have a point. If Valtor puts any of us in danger, I am sorry, but we are required to prioritize our lives over his," Timmy said. "It's nothing personal, but... We just can't sacrifice ourselves on the off chance that Daphne can help him."  
"I understand," Bloom replied, as Valtor began advancing again. "But just... Just give her a little more time."

The crazed crown-prince got ready to leap again when he suddenly froze. The gurgling laughter ceased. He suddenly clutched his head and stumbled back. "No," he hoarsely whispered, as his legs shook under him. "This is not me. This is not whom I want to be." He drew a sharp breath, as he began shaking, fighting to regain control over himself. "I DO NOT WANT TO BE A MONSTER ANYMORE!" He froze. Slowly, he started changing back. The wings shrunk, the horns vanished and the marble-armour became skin once more.

And then the mark on his head shattered.

Valtor stumbled for a moment, gasping for air, before falling to his knees, supporting his still twitching body with his hand.

A glowing light left his head and bloomed not far from him, taking on the form of Daphne. Everything below her waist was now nothing but a trail of faint mist and her outline was visibly cracking. "You did it, Valtor. You've started on your path to recovery. I'm sorry I will not be there to see you get to the other side, but Brother, I know you can do it."  
"Dap-Daphne?" he gasped.

The ghost turned to the others, focusing on Bloom. "I know my brother has hurt you and many others. And I understand that you have grievances against him. But please, give him a chance to prove he can be a better man than he has been for so long. Give him a chance to heal."  
"I will," Bloom said and nodded, her voice shaky and eyes misty. "I'll... I'll miss you."  
"And I'll miss you, dearest Sister. You have a bright future ahead of you." She turned to Valtor again. "Brother, I will not be able to help you on this path, though I dearly wish I could." She lifted her hand and her mask slowly glided over to Valtor. He grasped it and held it tight to his chest. "I want you to have it," Daphne continued. "I want you to look at it and remember that I've always been proud of you. And that I have always loved you, Brother. Nothing will ever change that. When you find yourself unable to love yourself, unable to admire all the great things you have accomplished, then look at my mask, and know that I've never held anything but the deepest respect for you."

"Please," Valtor sobbed, tears in his eyes. "Don't go. Don't leave me again."

"I'm sorry, Brother. That is one thing I cannot do," she replied sadly. Her form kept falling apart, only her head now remaining. "Be proud of yourself, Brother. And even though you will not have me, you still have a sister." With those words, the final part of Daphne disintegrated into sparkling dust.

Valtor reached out and grasped at the fragments, desperately trying to preserve just a bit of the nymph. But they all faded. He remained on his knees, tears streaking down his face, before he collapsed, still clutching the mask and sobbing heart-wrenchingly.

Everyone else was silent, solemnly watching the now thoroughly broken Valtor. Tears dripping down her face, Bloom slowly walked over and sat down by her half-brother, placing a hand on his shoulder.

...

Hours later, they emerged from the depths. Valtor was more or less immediately swarmed by Red Fountain and Roccalucian troops, who handcuffed him and put a magical dampener around his neck to prevent a possible escape. As he was being escorted aboard the ship, he stopped. "Wait. Just a moment please. I have something I need to say to my sister."  
One of the guards sighed. "Alright, but make it quick."  
The almost naked magi turned to Bloom. "Phil... I mean, Bloom. We may not have the opportunity to speak for quite a while. Longer if I'm shot back to Omega."  
"I doubt that. The Omega sentence has come under a lot of fire recently," the redhead replied. "But do go on."

"I've tried several times after acquiring the Agador Box to undo the curse on Domino. And quite obviously, it didn't take," he said. "At first, I thought it was a question of power or knowledge. But that turns out to not be the case. The curse is changing, Bloom. Constantly altering is subtle ways. It is only because I was so instrumental in first casting it that I barely managed to notice it. And that makes me worried. Those changes are deliberate, Bloom. That means someone is behind it. Someone no doubt connected to the Coven. And that bodes ill. Until they are found, I doubt the curse will ever be undone." He paused. "I'd offer my help, but obviously I will be indisposed for quite a while. As the current head of Domino, I found it necessary for you to know this. I don't know if you can actually use it for anything though, but one can always hope."

Bloom was silent for a moment. "Thanks. I'll see what I can do," she said, as Valtor was escorted aboard one of the ships.

The girls and boys were brought aboard another Red Fountain owl, which jetted off back towards Alfea and Red Fountain.

"So," began Nabu, who was sitting in the back with Aisha. "Quite the adventure. What's the next exiting event going to be about?"

"Hopefully, next year will be less dramatic," Aisha replied. "I mean, I'm glad we did what we did, but I'd rather just focus on my duties at school rather than my duties to keep my kingdom safe."  
"Still, you did everything that was expected of you and oh so very much more," Nabu added impressed. "Which reminds me, have you been thinking about the marriage we have been set up for?"  
"Yes. And while I was once completely certain I would marry you, now I'm not so sure," she admitted, looking a bit sheepish.

"And that's fine. I'm only happy to hear that you have been thinking about what you want. But I think we could use it to our advantage."  
"How so?"  
"Well, we are both sensible adults who respect each other's opinions. We may not become a couple, but if we become partners, we can have the best of both worlds. For example, if you fall for somebody outside of the marriage, I'd be completely okay with you following your heart. This way, we can stay true to ourselves without running into some big knot of royal rules and traditions." He leaned back in his chair. "But, of course, it's your choice. If you'd rather take that battle, I will support you. But I'd prefer to avoid unnecessary conflict."  
"You are a bit lazy, aren't you?" Aisha asked.

"My lady, your words do wound me. I am not lazy. I just acknowledge that smart birds follow the wind."

Further up the ship, another conversation was taking place. "So," Musa began, as they sat inside and finally rested. "Do you really think he'll change?"  
"I think he'll try," Bloom replied quietly. "Hopefully he will get the chance and not just be thrown away again."  
"Well, as the current crown princess of Domino, do not forget that your word has considerable weight," Brandon said. "You have the influence to push for his rehabilitation. Use it."  
"And if it helps, I can talk with my parents about it too," Sky said.

"So can I," Stella added.

Bloom smiled. "Thanks. What would I do without you guys?"  
"You're welcome, Firetop," Techna said enthusiastically, as she hugged the redhead from behind. "I'll always be here to blow up crazy family members for you."  
"Heh, hopefully that won't be necessary in the near future," Bloom commented. "But thanks."

"So what is next?" Flora asked.

"Finish school, take a trip to Sunny Soul to make sure I am not going bonkers and then vacation," Bloom said happily. "Or maybe I'll go to Sunny Soul first. Would be nice to go to the exam without being crazy."  
"If you're not crazy before going to the exam, you will be afterwards," Riven commented.

"Ugh, don't remind me of the exam," Stella groaned, burying her head in her arms. "I'm so totally not ready for it."

And the Red Fountain owl continued onwards, passing through the orange rays of the setting sun.

...

 _Hey everybody. ArachCobra and Givenea here. Thanks you to all of you for reading this third part of the Winx Club Rewrite. We've been happy to read your reviews and hear your thoughts about the story. As usual, we will do a Q &A where you can ask us why we do things the way we do. This video will be posted a week after this chapter has been posted and can be found on my YouTube channel(Link in my profile)_

 _Also, this fanfic series has been added to the recommended section of Winx Club fanfics on TVTropes, so many thanks for that DeadD00MKitten.  
Special thanks goes to Rhanar, Warlord1, Fluttersniper and Moka-girl. Without their help, the story wouldn't have been nearly as good. So give them a big hand._

 _Anyway, we will see you all at our next project._

 _ArachCobra and Givenea_


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